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Chinooks Hockey Team #4
True Love and Other Disasters
Disaster Number One: MEN
Hard knocks and hunger taught Faith Duffy not to believe in love. Still, when she married her very wealthy—and very old—husband, she became the perfect wife. And then he went to that big bank in the sky, leaving Faith with lonely nights, a pile of money, and a total mess of a pro hockey team. Heck, Faith doesn't even watch hockey!
Disaster Number Two: PASSION
But most of America and half of Canada is watching Ty Savage. His lethal sex appeal and deadly right hook make him the favorite of fans. For most of Ty's life, he's dreamed of winning the Stanley Cup. The last thing he needs is a bimbo messing up his plans.
Disaster Number Three: LOVE
Faith loathes Ty on sight, but she can't stop thinking about him all day ... and night. Then a moment of temptation ends with Faith in Ty's bed, and she begins to see there's more to him than sex appeal. Ty discovers there's far more to Faith than beauty and billions. But a relationship with Faith is impossible, and falling in love—that would be a disaster.
Hard knocks and hunger taught Faith Duffy not to believe in love. Still, when she married her very wealthy—and very old—husband, she became the perfect wife. And then he went to that big bank in the sky, leaving Faith with lonely nights, a pile of money, and a total mess of a pro hockey team. Heck, Faith doesn't even watch hockey!
Disaster Number Two: PASSION
But most of America and half of Canada is watching Ty Savage. His lethal sex appeal and deadly right hook make him the favorite of fans. For most of Ty's life, he's dreamed of winning the Stanley Cup. The last thing he needs is a bimbo messing up his plans.
Disaster Number Three: LOVE
Faith loathes Ty on sight, but she can't stop thinking about him all day ... and night. Then a moment of temptation ends with Faith in Ty's bed, and she begins to see there's more to him than sex appeal. Ty discovers there's far more to Faith than beauty and billions. But a relationship with Faith is impossible, and falling in love—that would be a disaster.
345 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
206 people are currently reading
4209 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Gibson
68 books5,350 followersRachel Gibson is a New York times and USAToday bestselling author of 22 books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 551 reviews
July 30, 2020
This was a complete rip-off. It had to be you by SEP with few minor changes so that it doesn’t look completely plagiarised.
Basically, if you read the book that I mentioned by SEP, you’ve pretty much read this one too, except this was a watered down version of it and not as good as the original.
I can’t say it wasn’t enjoyable to read or badly written but I can’t get past the similarities with the other one.
Basically, if you read the book that I mentioned by SEP, you’ve pretty much read this one too, except this was a watered down version of it and not as good as the original.
I can’t say it wasn’t enjoyable to read or badly written but I can’t get past the similarities with the other one.
November 15, 2011
True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson
When Faith Duffy's elderly husband, Virgil, passed away, not only did he leave her an outrageous amount of money, he left her his hockey team as well. 
Faith, who had been a trophy wife for the last 5 years and a stripper/Playboy centerfold before that, had no idea how to manage a hockey team. She was going to sell the team to Landon, Virgil's snarky son [image error] but retracted the offer when Landon embarrassed her in front of the team by calling her Layla - her stripper name. [image error]
Faith's life became unbelievably hectic, but with the invaluable aid of a seasoned assistant and a supportive Chinooks staff, Faith evolved into a competent owner. The team members were supportive of Faith as well...that is, except for the team captain, Ty Savage.
Ty couldn't stop thinking about Faith's
layout and what a [image error] she was. The damn team was in the playoffs...they didn't need some blonde bimbo (although a gorgeous, sexy bimbo, he had to admit) ruining their chances of winning the Stanley Cup [image error]
But time spent with Faith proved Ty's assumptions to be wrong. True, she was stunningly beautiful and built like a brick sh*t house
but she was sweet and smart and funny and Ty wanted her in his bed! Just a one-night-stand - one very long night - nobody would ever find out. Then he would be done with this ridiculous obsession and could once again concentrate on what was important!
[image error]
I loved this audio book...so much so that when it ended, I listened to it all over again. The narrator, Susan Bennett, is new to me but her character voices were excellent! There are several steamy sex scenes in the book and Ms. Bennett was so convincing portraying both characters -especially a sexed-up Faith- that I thoughtshe I was there. Whew! You'll need to stick your head in a bucket of ice after listening to that!
Even though this is book #4 in Rachel Gibson's series about the fictional Seattle Chinooks hockey team, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone, as very little time, if any, is spent on other players. So if you enjoy a contemporary romance featuring two beautiful characters (no plain-janes or hawk noses here) who are immensely likable as well (with awesome sexual chemistry) and have a story worth telling with a great HEA, then write this book in at the top of your wish-list. Better yet, download the audio book to your i-pod and "feel" the love! You won't be disappointed!
When Faith Duffy's elderly husband, Virgil, passed away, not only did he leave her an outrageous amount of money, he left her his hockey team as well. Faith, who had been a trophy wife for the last 5 years and a stripper/Playboy centerfold before that, had no idea how to manage a hockey team. She was going to sell the team to Landon, Virgil's snarky son [image error] but retracted the offer when Landon embarrassed her in front of the team by calling her Layla - her stripper name. [image error]Faith's life became unbelievably hectic, but with the invaluable aid of a seasoned assistant and a supportive Chinooks staff, Faith evolved into a competent owner. The team members were supportive of Faith as well...that is, except for the team captain, Ty Savage.
Ty couldn't stop thinking about Faith's
layout and what a [image error] she was. The damn team was in the playoffs...they didn't need some blonde bimbo (although a gorgeous, sexy bimbo, he had to admit) ruining their chances of winning the Stanley Cup [image error]But time spent with Faith proved Ty's assumptions to be wrong. True, she was stunningly beautiful and built like a brick sh*t house
but she was sweet and smart and funny and Ty wanted her in his bed! Just a one-night-stand - one very long night - nobody would ever find out. Then he would be done with this ridiculous obsession and could once again concentrate on what was important![image error]
I loved this audio book...so much so that when it ended, I listened to it all over again. The narrator, Susan Bennett, is new to me but her character voices were excellent! There are several steamy sex scenes in the book and Ms. Bennett was so convincing portraying both characters -especially a sexed-up Faith- that I thought
Even though this is book #4 in Rachel Gibson's series about the fictional Seattle Chinooks hockey team, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone, as very little time, if any, is spent on other players. So if you enjoy a contemporary romance featuring two beautiful characters (no plain-janes or hawk noses here) who are immensely likable as well (with awesome sexual chemistry) and have a story worth telling with a great HEA, then write this book in at the top of your wish-list. Better yet, download the audio book to your i-pod and "feel" the love! You won't be disappointed!
April 15, 2023
Dude!!!! This book!!!!
I was so intrigued by this plot and immediately knew I would be obsessed with it. Rachel Gibson’s writing never lets me down, and I devoured this enemies-to-lovers in one sitting!
The main character, Faith Duffy, is the thirty-year-old wife of eighty-one-year-old Virgil Duffy, the billionaire owner of the Chinooks hockey team.
Faith grew up in poverty, and, just like her mother, had to become a stripper at around eighteen in order to make ends meet. Her otherworldly beauty led to an offer to become a Playboy bunny, which is how, at twenty-five, she met Virgil, who made it very clear he was looking for a trophy wife.
Since all Faith ever strived for was financial stability and Virgil promised a cool million for every year they were married, she accepted his proposal, deciding to just ask for a divorce after a few years. However, they ended up becoming unexpected best friends, traveling the world together and keeping each other company. The marriage became (somewhat) real, and Faith abandoned all plans to leave.
The book starts out at Virgil’s funeral. Faith is now a widow, and has been left 50 million dollars and, you guessed it, Virgil’s beloved Chinooks. It’s for this reason that Ty Savage, the team’s captain, whose single goal in life is to win the Stanley Cup, immediately hates her. What happens to the team now that it’s in the hands of a trophy wife who knows absolutely nothing about hockey? Surely she’s about to wreck his chance to finally win the damn trophy.
Ty and Faith start trading barbs in the media, which is hilarious. He has zero faith (no pun intended) in her ability to run the Chinooks, and she’s determined to prove herself to him and everyone else who thinks she’s just an airhead.
A perfect example of their banter:
“Since you’re the owner of the team, you should know how to pronounce my name. It’s Sah-vage, not savage.” She pushed up her smile. “Thank you. I apologize, Mr. Sah-vage. And since I sign your checks, you should know that it’s Miss July. Not Miss January.”
As if all of that weren’t enough, Faith’s mother starts dating Ty’s father, which places them in the most awkward situations possible. It’s perfect. Ty is so fucking grumpy and stubborn, and Faith is just a boss.
I loved everything about this book and can’t wait to finish the rest of this series!
I was so intrigued by this plot and immediately knew I would be obsessed with it. Rachel Gibson’s writing never lets me down, and I devoured this enemies-to-lovers in one sitting!
The main character, Faith Duffy, is the thirty-year-old wife of eighty-one-year-old Virgil Duffy, the billionaire owner of the Chinooks hockey team.
Faith grew up in poverty, and, just like her mother, had to become a stripper at around eighteen in order to make ends meet. Her otherworldly beauty led to an offer to become a Playboy bunny, which is how, at twenty-five, she met Virgil, who made it very clear he was looking for a trophy wife.
Since all Faith ever strived for was financial stability and Virgil promised a cool million for every year they were married, she accepted his proposal, deciding to just ask for a divorce after a few years. However, they ended up becoming unexpected best friends, traveling the world together and keeping each other company. The marriage became (somewhat) real, and Faith abandoned all plans to leave.
The book starts out at Virgil’s funeral. Faith is now a widow, and has been left 50 million dollars and, you guessed it, Virgil’s beloved Chinooks. It’s for this reason that Ty Savage, the team’s captain, whose single goal in life is to win the Stanley Cup, immediately hates her. What happens to the team now that it’s in the hands of a trophy wife who knows absolutely nothing about hockey? Surely she’s about to wreck his chance to finally win the damn trophy.
Ty and Faith start trading barbs in the media, which is hilarious. He has zero faith (no pun intended) in her ability to run the Chinooks, and she’s determined to prove herself to him and everyone else who thinks she’s just an airhead.
A perfect example of their banter:
“Since you’re the owner of the team, you should know how to pronounce my name. It’s Sah-vage, not savage.” She pushed up her smile. “Thank you. I apologize, Mr. Sah-vage. And since I sign your checks, you should know that it’s Miss July. Not Miss January.”
As if all of that weren’t enough, Faith’s mother starts dating Ty’s father, which places them in the most awkward situations possible. It’s perfect. Ty is so fucking grumpy and stubborn, and Faith is just a boss.
I loved everything about this book and can’t wait to finish the rest of this series!
November 19, 2011
Just a quickie review here because, seriously? There's no way I can match KarenH's review (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... tells the whole story complete with some awesome pics.:)
Anyhow, this series is shaping up to be my favorite sports romance series of all time. This one wasn't my favorite, but it's still a very enjoyable, super-sexy read, loaded with plenty of sexual tension, a cranky hero (I think all the heroes so far have been kind of foul-tempered), a sexy, vulnerable heroine determined to discover her real self, and a nice touch of humor. This is star forward and newly acquired captain of the Chinooks, 35-year-old Ty Savage's story. Ty is determined to win the Stanley Cup before his career is over, and this looks to be the year to do it. Until the owner of the team, 80+ year-old Virgil Duffy dies, and wills the team to his 30 year old wife--who knows next to nothing about hockey--30 year old ex-stripper/Playboy centerfold Faith Duffy. Beautiful blonde Faith gets under Ty's skin, and she could prove to be one big distraction for Ty--if he lets her. Plenty of verbal sparring and antagonism doesn't hide the sexual tension between these two--you just wonder when someone's going to give in before they explode...
..."I want to lick your tatoo..."
"Don't stop. Touch me Ty. Touch me all over."
Oh God," he groaned as if he was in real pain. "You're a talker."
Please. Touch me. I want to eat you up."
Oh yeah, Ty and Faith do set the sheets on fire...but do they have a connection or is it just all about the sex? Well Ty thinks it's all about the sex...until Faith agrees with him. Then he shows her just how wrong she is.
Nice heat in this one, decent back story for both Faith and Ty complete with flaky parents on both sides, a yippy dog, plenty of hockey action and supporting characters round out a book that was hard to put down. My only complaints are that RG still has the distracting habit of calling scores as "they lost 2 to 3" instead of "3 to 2", and referring to the periods in hockey games as "frames" (this isn't bowling!) instead of periods. I don't know how this keeps happening, because she has all the other hockey stuff (including opposing NHL players and teams) correct.
My other complaint--no epilogue. No sooner than the "ILY's" were spoken then the book ended abruptly. Strange. Oh well, I shouldn't complain, because where else am I going to find a sports romance about hockey that puts the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals versus the Chinooks? Now, on to Nothing But Trouble 4 1/2 stars
Anyhow, this series is shaping up to be my favorite sports romance series of all time. This one wasn't my favorite, but it's still a very enjoyable, super-sexy read, loaded with plenty of sexual tension, a cranky hero (I think all the heroes so far have been kind of foul-tempered), a sexy, vulnerable heroine determined to discover her real self, and a nice touch of humor. This is star forward and newly acquired captain of the Chinooks, 35-year-old Ty Savage's story. Ty is determined to win the Stanley Cup before his career is over, and this looks to be the year to do it. Until the owner of the team, 80+ year-old Virgil Duffy dies, and wills the team to his 30 year old wife--who knows next to nothing about hockey--30 year old ex-stripper/Playboy centerfold Faith Duffy. Beautiful blonde Faith gets under Ty's skin, and she could prove to be one big distraction for Ty--if he lets her. Plenty of verbal sparring and antagonism doesn't hide the sexual tension between these two--you just wonder when someone's going to give in before they explode...
..."I want to lick your tatoo..."
"Don't stop. Touch me Ty. Touch me all over."
Oh God," he groaned as if he was in real pain. "You're a talker."
Please. Touch me. I want to eat you up."
Oh yeah, Ty and Faith do set the sheets on fire...but do they have a connection or is it just all about the sex? Well Ty thinks it's all about the sex...until Faith agrees with him. Then he shows her just how wrong she is.
Nice heat in this one, decent back story for both Faith and Ty complete with flaky parents on both sides, a yippy dog, plenty of hockey action and supporting characters round out a book that was hard to put down. My only complaints are that RG still has the distracting habit of calling scores as "they lost 2 to 3" instead of "3 to 2", and referring to the periods in hockey games as "frames" (this isn't bowling!) instead of periods. I don't know how this keeps happening, because she has all the other hockey stuff (including opposing NHL players and teams) correct.
My other complaint--no epilogue. No sooner than the "ILY's" were spoken then the book ended abruptly. Strange. Oh well, I shouldn't complain, because where else am I going to find a sports romance about hockey that puts the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals versus the Chinooks? Now, on to Nothing But Trouble 4 1/2 stars
February 18, 2018
Enjoyed this one. Love when the characters start off not liking each other.
Will definitely continue with this series.
Will definitely continue with this series.
February 4, 2017
This is the fourth in the series, and includes characters from previous books. Well, from the first two books, anyway. Which is good because the third sucked. You don't really need to read the first two, but it is nice to know the occasional character as they crop up and they were worth the read anyway.
While nowhere near as bad as the third, this story didn't really connect for me. As far as I could tell, the main characters only really bonded over sex. Not that sexual attraction is a bad thing, but I didn't see anything else to bring them together. Which is too bad because I kind of liked the concept of Faith. I liked that her marriage to Duffy was so good for her before he died. And I liked that she was becoming her own woman. Less fun was letting herself be pushed around by her mom and even her mom's dog. It wasn't terrible, but only because mom didn't push a lot (so it's more of an "annoying when it happens" kind of thing). Also, I really hated the bit near the end when she goes all "I have to do this thing for your own good, even though it hurts absolutely everybody and everything we care about."
Ty is much less appealing. He's all disapproving man all the time and he's not even very good at doing things he knows he should. The only real thing he has going for him is that he's a fine captain and capable leader. But he's a demanding jerk to Faith most of the time and I couldn't help notice that all the restrictions and barriers in the relationship were his. So he gets his own way all the time and I didn't see much respect for Faith as anything but his personal sex toy.
Anyway, this wasn't really as one-sided as I'm making it sound. The story was interesting and I really loved seeing Faith grow into the role of NHL team owner. I loved how courageous and smart she was and I liked how she changed things about herself that she needed to but without losing the core of who she is. Plus, who doesn't love when beauty tames the beast (or, in this case, the hockey team)? Bonus points that she does so by earning their trust through learning what she has to learn, listening to good advice, and being able to make tough choices when they have to be made.
A note about Steamy: There were three explicit sex scenes, though one was pretty short. That puts this in the middle of my steam tolerance, though minus points for being pretty much all that drew Faith and Ty together.
While nowhere near as bad as the third, this story didn't really connect for me. As far as I could tell, the main characters only really bonded over sex. Not that sexual attraction is a bad thing, but I didn't see anything else to bring them together. Which is too bad because I kind of liked the concept of Faith. I liked that her marriage to Duffy was so good for her before he died. And I liked that she was becoming her own woman. Less fun was letting herself be pushed around by her mom and even her mom's dog. It wasn't terrible, but only because mom didn't push a lot (so it's more of an "annoying when it happens" kind of thing). Also, I really hated the bit near the end when she goes all "I have to do this thing for your own good, even though it hurts absolutely everybody and everything we care about."
Ty is much less appealing. He's all disapproving man all the time and he's not even very good at doing things he knows he should. The only real thing he has going for him is that he's a fine captain and capable leader. But he's a demanding jerk to Faith most of the time and I couldn't help notice that all the restrictions and barriers in the relationship were his. So he gets his own way all the time and I didn't see much respect for Faith as anything but his personal sex toy.
Anyway, this wasn't really as one-sided as I'm making it sound. The story was interesting and I really loved seeing Faith grow into the role of NHL team owner. I loved how courageous and smart she was and I liked how she changed things about herself that she needed to but without losing the core of who she is. Plus, who doesn't love when beauty tames the beast (or, in this case, the hockey team)? Bonus points that she does so by earning their trust through learning what she has to learn, listening to good advice, and being able to make tough choices when they have to be made.
A note about Steamy: There were three explicit sex scenes, though one was pretty short. That puts this in the middle of my steam tolerance, though minus points for being pretty much all that drew Faith and Ty together.
January 7, 2019
4’5 Estrellas, y no han sido las 5 porque me ha faltado un pelín más de desarrollo y un epílogo, pero si soy sincera, es de los mejores libros de romance contemporáneo con deportistas que he leído.
Hace unos pocos años que empecé esta serie, pero las editoriales españolas se han portado tan bien (nótese la ironía) con ésta autora, y en particular con ésta serie, que siempre me ha dado un poco de pereza seguirla pese a saber que sus libros son buenos.
Por otro lado me da la impresión de que a pesar de que son parte de una serie, pueden leerse de manera independiente, pues el libro anterior no lo he leído (porque no se ha publicado en castellano) y no me ha parecido perderme nada, y aunque Jane sale y a Luc lo mencionan, del primer libro nada de nada, así que es un buen aliciente si eres de las que lee las series salteadas.
¿Qué nos encontramos en “Amor verdadero y otros desastres”? ¿Recordáis a Virgil, el anciano propietario de los Chinooks? Acaba de fallecer, y le ha dejado a su jovencísima esposa, Faith, una fortuna en millones y la propiedad de los Chinooks. Faith es una ex stripper y ex conejita de Playboy, que tuvo la suerte de cazar a un viejo rico; pero Faith no es todo lo que parece. En el fondo, todo lo que Faith hizo, lo hizo por sobrevivir, por sobrevivir a una infancia dura y empobrecida. En sus últimos años ha tornado su suerte, y aunque su matrimonio con Virgil fue algo marchito, ella le quería sinceramente, fue su mejor amigo e hizo mucho bien por ella.
El mayor problema de Faith es enfrentarse a su hijastro, Landon, que está rabioso tras descubrir que su padre le dejó los Chinooks a ella, y hará lo imposible para que Faith le venda el equipo. Tras esta situación, la vida de Faith cambiará; antes no era si no una esposa bonita al lado de un marido viejo y rico que se encargaba de participar en asociaciones de caridad y causas benéficas. Ahora no sólo seguirá patrocinando estas causas, sino que deberá enfrentarse a un reto mayor, no tiene ni idea de hockey sobre hielo, ni de cómo se dirige un club deportivo, pero está dispuesta a aprender, y esto es lo que más me ha gustado de su personaje.
Por otro lado tenemos al protagonista masculino, Ty Savage. Es el hijo de una leyenda del hockey sobre hielo, que ha seguido los pasos de su padre hasta ser el mejor. En la vida de Ty solo existe ganar la siguiente copa. Aunque es canadiense y siempre ha jugado en estos equipos, acaba de ser traspasado a los Chinooks de Seattle, convertido en su capitán, y su gran ambición es ganar esta temporada la Copa Stanley. Sólo hay un problema, el dueño del equipo acaba de morir, y le ha dejado a su jovencísima esposa, que no tiene ni idea de hockey, la dirección del club. Los jugadores se enfrentan a un problema ¿Qué es peor, una mujer que no tiene ni idea de deportes, o el hijo asqueroso de Virgil Duffy?
La relación de Faith y Ty empezará antes de que ellos se den cuenta. Los jugadores no se entremeten demasiado en la dirección del equipo, pero el capitán del mismo debe verse las caras más de una vez con la hermosísima ex conejita de Playboy, y ya sea en juntas, en los viajes de avión, o en los hoteles, deben verse las caras, y ¿Qué es lo peor? Que una relación entre ellos está abocada al desastre.
Faith acaba de enviudar y no se siente ni feliz ni cómoda siendo infiel a Virgil tan pronto, por otro lado, Ty no desea enamorarse, vio el desastroso matrimonio de sus padres y cómo afectó especialmente a su madre. Durante años Ty se ha conformado con romances esporádicos, y lo que menos necesita es verse enredado con Faith, que además es su jefa ¿Dónde le dejaría eso y lo que supone para el futuro del equipo?
Esto es más o menos lo que nos vamos a encontrar, y sin querer spoilear demasiado, pero si sois fans de los libros de Rachel Gibson y de su estilo, os lo podéis imaginar. El libro se lee solo y está entretenidísimo, lo único que he echado en falta es conocer algo más al protagonista y sus sentimientos, creo que todo lo referente a Ty ha quedado muy escueto. Igualmente su relación hubiese requerido quizá un capítulo o dos más, y desde luego al final del libro le hubiese pedido un epílogo. Por eso considero que el libro no ha sido perfecto; ha estado muy bien, ha sido estupendo, pero le ha faltado algo.
A pesar de todo, creo que ya soy una incondicional de esta autora y seguiré leyendo lo que tengamos de ella publicado; por suerte creo que hay algún libro más de los Chinooks en castellano, así que seguiré divirtiéndome con ellos.
Hace unos pocos años que empecé esta serie, pero las editoriales españolas se han portado tan bien (nótese la ironía) con ésta autora, y en particular con ésta serie, que siempre me ha dado un poco de pereza seguirla pese a saber que sus libros son buenos.
Por otro lado me da la impresión de que a pesar de que son parte de una serie, pueden leerse de manera independiente, pues el libro anterior no lo he leído (porque no se ha publicado en castellano) y no me ha parecido perderme nada, y aunque Jane sale y a Luc lo mencionan, del primer libro nada de nada, así que es un buen aliciente si eres de las que lee las series salteadas.
¿Qué nos encontramos en “Amor verdadero y otros desastres”? ¿Recordáis a Virgil, el anciano propietario de los Chinooks? Acaba de fallecer, y le ha dejado a su jovencísima esposa, Faith, una fortuna en millones y la propiedad de los Chinooks. Faith es una ex stripper y ex conejita de Playboy, que tuvo la suerte de cazar a un viejo rico; pero Faith no es todo lo que parece. En el fondo, todo lo que Faith hizo, lo hizo por sobrevivir, por sobrevivir a una infancia dura y empobrecida. En sus últimos años ha tornado su suerte, y aunque su matrimonio con Virgil fue algo marchito, ella le quería sinceramente, fue su mejor amigo e hizo mucho bien por ella.
El mayor problema de Faith es enfrentarse a su hijastro, Landon, que está rabioso tras descubrir que su padre le dejó los Chinooks a ella, y hará lo imposible para que Faith le venda el equipo. Tras esta situación, la vida de Faith cambiará; antes no era si no una esposa bonita al lado de un marido viejo y rico que se encargaba de participar en asociaciones de caridad y causas benéficas. Ahora no sólo seguirá patrocinando estas causas, sino que deberá enfrentarse a un reto mayor, no tiene ni idea de hockey sobre hielo, ni de cómo se dirige un club deportivo, pero está dispuesta a aprender, y esto es lo que más me ha gustado de su personaje.
Por otro lado tenemos al protagonista masculino, Ty Savage. Es el hijo de una leyenda del hockey sobre hielo, que ha seguido los pasos de su padre hasta ser el mejor. En la vida de Ty solo existe ganar la siguiente copa. Aunque es canadiense y siempre ha jugado en estos equipos, acaba de ser traspasado a los Chinooks de Seattle, convertido en su capitán, y su gran ambición es ganar esta temporada la Copa Stanley. Sólo hay un problema, el dueño del equipo acaba de morir, y le ha dejado a su jovencísima esposa, que no tiene ni idea de hockey, la dirección del club. Los jugadores se enfrentan a un problema ¿Qué es peor, una mujer que no tiene ni idea de deportes, o el hijo asqueroso de Virgil Duffy?
La relación de Faith y Ty empezará antes de que ellos se den cuenta. Los jugadores no se entremeten demasiado en la dirección del equipo, pero el capitán del mismo debe verse las caras más de una vez con la hermosísima ex conejita de Playboy, y ya sea en juntas, en los viajes de avión, o en los hoteles, deben verse las caras, y ¿Qué es lo peor? Que una relación entre ellos está abocada al desastre.
Faith acaba de enviudar y no se siente ni feliz ni cómoda siendo infiel a Virgil tan pronto, por otro lado, Ty no desea enamorarse, vio el desastroso matrimonio de sus padres y cómo afectó especialmente a su madre. Durante años Ty se ha conformado con romances esporádicos, y lo que menos necesita es verse enredado con Faith, que además es su jefa ¿Dónde le dejaría eso y lo que supone para el futuro del equipo?
Esto es más o menos lo que nos vamos a encontrar, y sin querer spoilear demasiado, pero si sois fans de los libros de Rachel Gibson y de su estilo, os lo podéis imaginar. El libro se lee solo y está entretenidísimo, lo único que he echado en falta es conocer algo más al protagonista y sus sentimientos, creo que todo lo referente a Ty ha quedado muy escueto. Igualmente su relación hubiese requerido quizá un capítulo o dos más, y desde luego al final del libro le hubiese pedido un epílogo. Por eso considero que el libro no ha sido perfecto; ha estado muy bien, ha sido estupendo, pero le ha faltado algo.
A pesar de todo, creo que ya soy una incondicional de esta autora y seguiré leyendo lo que tengamos de ella publicado; por suerte creo que hay algún libro más de los Chinooks en castellano, así que seguiré divirtiéndome con ellos.
June 15, 2022
Este libro puede recordar un poquito a
Tenías que ser tú
, pero es más realista: las chicas cañón suelen tener un pasado, nada de heroínas virginales y virtuosas. Ese es el caso de la ex-playmate Faith Duffy, que se casó con un tipo rico y viejo, y acabó heredando el equipo de hockey de los Chinooks. Chocará con el capitán, el canadiense Ty Savage, quien ha ido a ese equipo porque quiere ganar la copa Stanley. No permitirá que nada ni nadie ponga en peligro el objetivo de su vida. Ni siquiera una mujer con la que fantasea y tiene una tensión sexual estratosférica. Las escenas amorosas son, como es habitual en Gibson, de alto voltaje para lo que es una contemporánea de deporte que tiene ya cierta edad. El final es romántico a más no poder.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
June 3, 2015
3.5 stars. Ty Savage is yummy.
May 1, 2024
I really enjoy Rachel Gibson's Romance books. "True Love and Other Disasters" had a wonderful, survivor for a heroine and an Alpha A-hole for a hero. They each have a lot of misconceptions to overcome to get their HEA.
Faith Duffy is a survivor and has lived her life to survive and come out on top. She married an old, rich man whom she loved, and lived with platonically. He died and left his hockey team to her. She has no idea what to do the team and her stepson is a butthead, and she can't bring herself to sell the team to him.
Ty Savage is the captain of the Seattle Chinooks hockey team, and he is determined to win the Stanley Cup this year. They have the team and management to make it happen and he just can't believe that the owner has died and left the team to an airheaded blonde bimbo who used to be a stripper!
Needless to say, these two are destined to fall for each other, but not before a whole lot of misunderstandings are cleared up.
Faith Duffy is a survivor and has lived her life to survive and come out on top. She married an old, rich man whom she loved, and lived with platonically. He died and left his hockey team to her. She has no idea what to do the team and her stepson is a butthead, and she can't bring herself to sell the team to him.
Ty Savage is the captain of the Seattle Chinooks hockey team, and he is determined to win the Stanley Cup this year. They have the team and management to make it happen and he just can't believe that the owner has died and left the team to an airheaded blonde bimbo who used to be a stripper!
Needless to say, these two are destined to fall for each other, but not before a whole lot of misunderstandings are cleared up.
December 26, 2018
An adorable hockey romance. Our heroine is a former stripper turned Playboy Bunny turned wife of an old rich guy. He told her that for every year she’s married to him he will give her ten million dollars. Although she would have happily given him many years, he left the mortal coil at 5. He also left her his hockey team that he had invested lots of time and money into developing so they could bring him the Stanley Cup.
Instead of selling the team she decides her new career will be as team owner. Now she just has to learn what the puck is going on.
Instead of selling the team she decides her new career will be as team owner. Now she just has to learn what the puck is going on.
January 16, 2018
"Take one for the team."
Another great story. I'm really enjoying this series. This one was pretty steamy. Although I would have liked the heroine to have a little more grit. Looking forward to the next one.
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December 28, 2014
12/26/2014 -- Re-read
One of my favorite authors. I agree with my original 4.5 Star rating. A fun book and a really good series.
Overall Rating = 4.5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 4 / 5 / 3 = 4 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 5 Stars
Character / Secondary Character Development = 4 / 4 = 4 Stars
“Did I like” Hero / Heroine = 5 / 5 = 5 Stars
Story / Background Story Development = 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
“Did I like the Damned Thing” = 4 Stars
Ending = 3 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars -- [A re-read ... invaluable]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild
368 pages
First sentence: The night before Virgil Duffy's funeral, a storm pounded the Puget Sound.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
02/01/2012 --
I really enjoyed this one - 4.5 Stars!
Even though this story followed the same or similar format as others I've read in the series, I liked this one significantly more.
What I liked about this book:
1 -- I liked Ty - quite a bit. I liked his Canadian accent. I like his Hockey talent. And, I liked the attraction he has for Faith.
2 -- I like Faith. She was beautiful and knew it, but wasn't arrogant like some really beautiful women are. She says she learned to make the best of bad situations and take advantage of opportunities. She married a much older man to advance her station in life, but really cared about him and didn't expect anything when he died. She is a really nice person; beautiful inside and out.
3 -- I like Jules and his support of Faith as she learned the "Hockey ropes".
4 -- I like the way Hockey was woven throughout the story, even more than in the two later books I've read in this series.
5 -- I liked the glimpses we get of the secondary cast of Hockey players.
For some reason, this one clicked for me. There were times when they were together talking or sharing intimacy that I had goose bumps. I'm anxiously awaiting more Nook opportunities in this series; coming Mar27!!
If you like good, lighthearted romances with a sports related theme, you should really like this book and series. I'm putting Rachel Gibson on my "always consider reading" list.
Happy Reading!!
One of my favorite authors. I agree with my original 4.5 Star rating. A fun book and a really good series.
Overall Rating = 4.5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 4 / 5 / 3 = 4 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 5 Stars
Character / Secondary Character Development = 4 / 4 = 4 Stars
“Did I like” Hero / Heroine = 5 / 5 = 5 Stars
Story / Background Story Development = 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
“Did I like the Damned Thing” = 4 Stars
Ending = 3 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars -- [A re-read ... invaluable]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild
368 pages
First sentence: The night before Virgil Duffy's funeral, a storm pounded the Puget Sound.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
02/01/2012 --
I really enjoyed this one - 4.5 Stars!
Even though this story followed the same or similar format as others I've read in the series, I liked this one significantly more.
What I liked about this book:
1 -- I liked Ty - quite a bit. I liked his Canadian accent. I like his Hockey talent. And, I liked the attraction he has for Faith.
2 -- I like Faith. She was beautiful and knew it, but wasn't arrogant like some really beautiful women are. She says she learned to make the best of bad situations and take advantage of opportunities. She married a much older man to advance her station in life, but really cared about him and didn't expect anything when he died. She is a really nice person; beautiful inside and out.
3 -- I like Jules and his support of Faith as she learned the "Hockey ropes".
4 -- I like the way Hockey was woven throughout the story, even more than in the two later books I've read in this series.
5 -- I liked the glimpses we get of the secondary cast of Hockey players.
For some reason, this one clicked for me. There were times when they were together talking or sharing intimacy that I had goose bumps. I'm anxiously awaiting more Nook opportunities in this series; coming Mar27!!
If you like good, lighthearted romances with a sports related theme, you should really like this book and series. I'm putting Rachel Gibson on my "always consider reading" list.
Happy Reading!!
December 28, 2009
Hard to rate this one. On the plus side, it kept me engaged, and I thought it was kind of interesting for once to have a "gold digger" heroine who actually could truly be considered a gold digger. (Though of course she's practically a virgin widow and was never that into sex til she met the hero.) Unfortunately, her character is pretty inconsistent. And not only is the story quite derivative and the writing repetitious but there is very little chemistry between the leads. I just talked myself out of three stars and down to two.
May 7, 2009
3.5 stars. A really cute sexy story, but not a lot of depth. A quick read by a great author. Perfect beach reading material. I agree with many who are happy she is writing about hockey again.
January 24, 2018
No... lo siento pero no me ha gustado tanto como esperaba. Los personajes me han parecido muy planos, la historia muy predecible y nada emocionante, todo muy repetitivo. La impresión que me ha dado la protagonista, ha sido de mujer débil y dependiente, muuuuy dependiente, y eso no me gusta nada. Además incoherente, pues piensa una cosa y luego actúa de otra manera. No he conectado con los personajes, ni con la historia. Si tiene una estrella es porque me ha mantenido entretenido, y ya está. Punto.
May 31, 2009
True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson
4.75 Stars
Reviewed by Stacey Agdern, romance reader and Ranger Fan
When they signed their deal with Harlequin, NASCAR noted that “40 percent of its estimated 75 million fans in the United States (were) women”. But what about the NHL, where it is reported, that anywhere between 33 to 44 percent of its fan base is female.
What we do know is that there’s enough of a female fan base for the Washington Capitals to have formed the first official female NHL fan club. It also seems there is enough of an understanding of female sports fandom in general to allow what I consider the very first ‘NHL’ Romance to be published.
Before she became part of the Harlequin-NASCAR alliance, Pamela Britton wrote a book about stock car racing called Dangerous Curves. It was about the world of racing; ins and outs, background and all, but yet it took place in a world of Britton’s own making based upon the NASCAR world. No names of either drivers or administrative personnel, appeared in the book. Once the deal was struck, the book reappeared, edited to show the real inspiration was NASCAR. Now, Erin McCarthy, Kimberly Raye and other authors write books for NASCAR fans.
To that end, authors across the romance spectrum, from small press to category and beyond have written hockey books. Deirdre Martin’s series for Berkeley books about the ‘New York Blades’ have earned her New York Times best selling status, as well as acclaim for the way she’s managed to tackle difficult issues. She also put together a website for the team, and if any hockey fans were paying attention, they would have noticed similarities to both Madison Square Garden and the New York Rangers’ schedule. But the team played in a world of Martin’s own making, inspired by the NHL. No names of either real hockey players or administrative personnel were used.
And then there is New York Times Best Selling author Rachel Gibson. Gibson published her first hockey themed book in 1998. Since then, she has written two more about the Seattle Chinooks. In those books, she neither names Hockey Players nor administrative personnel. Like Martin’s Blades series, these books take place in a world of Gibson’s own making. However, there was one little exception that made readers think twice. ‘See Jane Score,’ was dedicated to a famous hockey player. A man Gibson makes no secret of admiring. (And to tell the truth, this reviewer agrees with her.) Mark Messier.
To a degree, you can compare Gibson’s fandom to Britton’s. Pamela Britton is an unabashed and true NASCAR fan. You can tell that from her website, her message boards and her Facebook page. And though we don’t know who Gibson’s favorite team is (and I hope it’s the one Messier won the cup with in 1994), those who have read the earlier books know that Gibson follows hockey. Which means that in the face of multiple romance novels about NASCAR, where names, stats and particular information is used, an author like Rachel Gibson would be able to, not only write a hockey book, but an NHL book. And that, of course, is where True Love and Other Disasters comes in.
A direct sequel to Simply Irresistible, our heroine Faith Duffy married the man Georgeanne Howard did not. And now Faith, who knows nothing about hockey, is a widow. And owns a hockey team. A hockey team her late husband cared about. A hockey team who is in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, the NHL’s trophy. The Seattle Chinooks, the team which has been the focus of Gibson’s previous hockey books.
But what makes this book groundbreaking is that Gibson actually puts the Chinooks, and their Captain, Ty Savage, through their paces against the NHL’s best. Vancouver, San Jose, Detroit and…Pittsburgh. Players like the recently(as in the day before the reviewer started reading the book) retired Markus Naslund and Sidney Crosby make appearances (and in some cases make the reviewer root harder for the Chinooks.)
Gibson is also able to use Faith’s lack of hockey knowledge to explain the sport to those who don’t know very much about it, names, teams and rules included. And of course, Faith’s relationship with Ty shows her falling in love with the sport, and the Seattle Chinooks, even as she’s falling in love with him. It is clearly not a coincidence that the book ends on a positive note for Faith, Ty and the team.
It was also not a coincidence that Avon books released True Love and Other Disasters in the middle of the NHL playoffs. It was, however a coincidence that most of the teams the Chinooks played were actually in this year’s playoff race. Detroit and Pittsburgh are currently in the thick of the NHL playoffs, while both Vancouver and San Jose were eliminated after the book was released.
So of course, the question remains whether or not the Romance Community is ready for an official series of NHL romances. Judging by the fact that True Love and Other Disasters enters the NY Times Best Seller list at number 19 (two numbers below Captain Ty’s 21 and the same number as current Ranger Assistant Captain Scott Gomez) , I think it is. And as a True Blue member of the Garden Faithful, I couldn’t be happier.
4.75 Stars
Reviewed by Stacey Agdern, romance reader and Ranger Fan
When they signed their deal with Harlequin, NASCAR noted that “40 percent of its estimated 75 million fans in the United States (were) women”. But what about the NHL, where it is reported, that anywhere between 33 to 44 percent of its fan base is female.
What we do know is that there’s enough of a female fan base for the Washington Capitals to have formed the first official female NHL fan club. It also seems there is enough of an understanding of female sports fandom in general to allow what I consider the very first ‘NHL’ Romance to be published.
Before she became part of the Harlequin-NASCAR alliance, Pamela Britton wrote a book about stock car racing called Dangerous Curves. It was about the world of racing; ins and outs, background and all, but yet it took place in a world of Britton’s own making based upon the NASCAR world. No names of either drivers or administrative personnel, appeared in the book. Once the deal was struck, the book reappeared, edited to show the real inspiration was NASCAR. Now, Erin McCarthy, Kimberly Raye and other authors write books for NASCAR fans.
To that end, authors across the romance spectrum, from small press to category and beyond have written hockey books. Deirdre Martin’s series for Berkeley books about the ‘New York Blades’ have earned her New York Times best selling status, as well as acclaim for the way she’s managed to tackle difficult issues. She also put together a website for the team, and if any hockey fans were paying attention, they would have noticed similarities to both Madison Square Garden and the New York Rangers’ schedule. But the team played in a world of Martin’s own making, inspired by the NHL. No names of either real hockey players or administrative personnel were used.
And then there is New York Times Best Selling author Rachel Gibson. Gibson published her first hockey themed book in 1998. Since then, she has written two more about the Seattle Chinooks. In those books, she neither names Hockey Players nor administrative personnel. Like Martin’s Blades series, these books take place in a world of Gibson’s own making. However, there was one little exception that made readers think twice. ‘See Jane Score,’ was dedicated to a famous hockey player. A man Gibson makes no secret of admiring. (And to tell the truth, this reviewer agrees with her.) Mark Messier.
To a degree, you can compare Gibson’s fandom to Britton’s. Pamela Britton is an unabashed and true NASCAR fan. You can tell that from her website, her message boards and her Facebook page. And though we don’t know who Gibson’s favorite team is (and I hope it’s the one Messier won the cup with in 1994), those who have read the earlier books know that Gibson follows hockey. Which means that in the face of multiple romance novels about NASCAR, where names, stats and particular information is used, an author like Rachel Gibson would be able to, not only write a hockey book, but an NHL book. And that, of course, is where True Love and Other Disasters comes in.
A direct sequel to Simply Irresistible, our heroine Faith Duffy married the man Georgeanne Howard did not. And now Faith, who knows nothing about hockey, is a widow. And owns a hockey team. A hockey team her late husband cared about. A hockey team who is in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, the NHL’s trophy. The Seattle Chinooks, the team which has been the focus of Gibson’s previous hockey books.
But what makes this book groundbreaking is that Gibson actually puts the Chinooks, and their Captain, Ty Savage, through their paces against the NHL’s best. Vancouver, San Jose, Detroit and…Pittsburgh. Players like the recently(as in the day before the reviewer started reading the book) retired Markus Naslund and Sidney Crosby make appearances (and in some cases make the reviewer root harder for the Chinooks.)
Gibson is also able to use Faith’s lack of hockey knowledge to explain the sport to those who don’t know very much about it, names, teams and rules included. And of course, Faith’s relationship with Ty shows her falling in love with the sport, and the Seattle Chinooks, even as she’s falling in love with him. It is clearly not a coincidence that the book ends on a positive note for Faith, Ty and the team.
It was also not a coincidence that Avon books released True Love and Other Disasters in the middle of the NHL playoffs. It was, however a coincidence that most of the teams the Chinooks played were actually in this year’s playoff race. Detroit and Pittsburgh are currently in the thick of the NHL playoffs, while both Vancouver and San Jose were eliminated after the book was released.
So of course, the question remains whether or not the Romance Community is ready for an official series of NHL romances. Judging by the fact that True Love and Other Disasters enters the NY Times Best Seller list at number 19 (two numbers below Captain Ty’s 21 and the same number as current Ranger Assistant Captain Scott Gomez) , I think it is. And as a True Blue member of the Garden Faithful, I couldn’t be happier.
April 30, 2011
First of all I feel like I should stress that when reading and rating romance novels, I keep in mind that it's a romance novel - my expectations are basic at best, and I make allowances for a greater suspended disbelieve and a language and style that's appropriate for the genre - nothing extraordinary. But I do want my romance novels to be better than *this*.
While Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me is the kind of chick lit that makes me want to read more m/f romance, this is the kind of book that makes me want to never pick up this kind of book ever again.
I would blame the translation, which certainly isn't very good, but pretty soon it becomes obvious that that's not the problem. What is the problem, you ask?
Well, apart from the appalling gender stereotyping, stupid designer namedropping and horribly written sex, the romance is completely unbelievable. The pacing is horrific and did I mention the sex was horrible? I will never, ever understand why some authors feel like they have to write explicit sex scenes. I have nothing against explicit sex, although it rarely, if ever, is a requirement for me to enjoy a romance novel (or a romantic fanfic), but please, for the love of god, if you can't write it, don't.
But the thing is, I never felt like there was anything between Ty and Faith except for Intense Physical Attraction. There was no real emotional development, which is the best thing about a romance, in my opinion. All you see them do on page is fuck, and badly at that. (But at least it wasn't quite as bad as in the Most Horrible Book Ever, which isn't saying much, but I'm grateful for that, at least.)
In the end, everything happened much too fast - the plot could have used some more time there, I felt. It was cheap and didn't feel like a proper pay-off.
The gender stereotyping is something that really bothered me here, especially in the combination with the rather disturbing sex scene near the end where he is angry at her and as a results proceeds to "give it to her as hard as he can". She, of course, likes that and - again, no problem with rough sex here, either, but not in this sort of context? "It's not rape if she likes it." Ugh. He is the big, strong man (who needs XXL condoms, another thing that made me facepalm), she the tiny, beautiful, almost breakable woman. The fact that she is supposed to be his boss presumably is supposed to make me feel better, but it really, really didn't.
I also will never see the point of mentioning the names of the oh so amazing designer dresses and bags again and again. I guess some women get a kick out of that, as someone who isn't remotely interested in that sort of thing, I was mostly annoyed by it. Although I should say that if that was the only thing that bothered me I could have lived with it - after all, I managed to survive the constant shoe-talk in Bet Me just fine. But apparently Faith doesn't have any interest in life besides fashion, apart from "helping people" through her charities. And sex, later on.
When I read a romance novel, I want to feel the butterflies, the tension, the getting to know better - and not just on a physical plane. The only good thing about this book is that like most romance novels, it didn't waste too much of my time.
It came recommended to me from two friends. It was the first book they recommended to me, but considering how often our tastes in novels seem to differ, that may have been the last one I've read. I'm certainly not touching the other romance novel they loaned me. (Which isn't a slight against them, but recommendations are a tricky thing and either you are on the same wavelength when it comes to reading or you're not. One of my colleagues loans me a lot of books, and I've yet to read one that I don't like.)
I don't feel like I want that much from my romance novels, but this one certainly didn't have anything I wanted.
While Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me is the kind of chick lit that makes me want to read more m/f romance, this is the kind of book that makes me want to never pick up this kind of book ever again.
I would blame the translation, which certainly isn't very good, but pretty soon it becomes obvious that that's not the problem. What is the problem, you ask?
Well, apart from the appalling gender stereotyping, stupid designer namedropping and horribly written sex, the romance is completely unbelievable. The pacing is horrific and did I mention the sex was horrible? I will never, ever understand why some authors feel like they have to write explicit sex scenes. I have nothing against explicit sex, although it rarely, if ever, is a requirement for me to enjoy a romance novel (or a romantic fanfic), but please, for the love of god, if you can't write it, don't.
But the thing is, I never felt like there was anything between Ty and Faith except for Intense Physical Attraction. There was no real emotional development, which is the best thing about a romance, in my opinion. All you see them do on page is fuck, and badly at that. (But at least it wasn't quite as bad as in the Most Horrible Book Ever, which isn't saying much, but I'm grateful for that, at least.)
In the end, everything happened much too fast - the plot could have used some more time there, I felt. It was cheap and didn't feel like a proper pay-off.
The gender stereotyping is something that really bothered me here, especially in the combination with the rather disturbing sex scene near the end where he is angry at her and as a results proceeds to "give it to her as hard as he can". She, of course, likes that and - again, no problem with rough sex here, either, but not in this sort of context? "It's not rape if she likes it." Ugh. He is the big, strong man (who needs XXL condoms, another thing that made me facepalm), she the tiny, beautiful, almost breakable woman. The fact that she is supposed to be his boss presumably is supposed to make me feel better, but it really, really didn't.
I also will never see the point of mentioning the names of the oh so amazing designer dresses and bags again and again. I guess some women get a kick out of that, as someone who isn't remotely interested in that sort of thing, I was mostly annoyed by it. Although I should say that if that was the only thing that bothered me I could have lived with it - after all, I managed to survive the constant shoe-talk in Bet Me just fine. But apparently Faith doesn't have any interest in life besides fashion, apart from "helping people" through her charities. And sex, later on.
When I read a romance novel, I want to feel the butterflies, the tension, the getting to know better - and not just on a physical plane. The only good thing about this book is that like most romance novels, it didn't waste too much of my time.
It came recommended to me from two friends. It was the first book they recommended to me, but considering how often our tastes in novels seem to differ, that may have been the last one I've read. I'm certainly not touching the other romance novel they loaned me. (Which isn't a slight against them, but recommendations are a tricky thing and either you are on the same wavelength when it comes to reading or you're not. One of my colleagues loans me a lot of books, and I've yet to read one that I don't like.)
I don't feel like I want that much from my romance novels, but this one certainly didn't have anything I wanted.
September 10, 2018
True Love & Other Disasters
4 Stars
Series note: While this is book #4, it and all the previous books can be read as stand alones as there is no continuous storyline and it is rare for a an earlier character to put in an appearance.
Faith Duffy married for money and is not ashamed to admit it. A former stripper, her elderly husband offered her the safety and security she had always craved, and now that he has passed, she finds herself the reluctant owner of the Chinooks hockey team - the only problem: She knows nothing about hockey.
Team captain Ty Savage is determined to win the Stanley Cup and has not intention of allowing the, the new owner, whom he views as a ditzy blond bimbo, to ruin his chances - the only problem: Whenever they get together, sparks fly.
Faith is a straightforward, honest and likable heroine, and Ty is sexy and caring despite his initially judgmental attitude. The two share some lovely banter and an intense chemistry.
The sports descriptions are, thankfully, kept to a minimum, and the minor plot involving Faith's obnoxious stepson is relatively angst and drama free.
All in all, a light and fun read for lovers of contemporary sports romances.
4 Stars
Series note: While this is book #4, it and all the previous books can be read as stand alones as there is no continuous storyline and it is rare for a an earlier character to put in an appearance.
Faith Duffy married for money and is not ashamed to admit it. A former stripper, her elderly husband offered her the safety and security she had always craved, and now that he has passed, she finds herself the reluctant owner of the Chinooks hockey team - the only problem: She knows nothing about hockey.
Team captain Ty Savage is determined to win the Stanley Cup and has not intention of allowing the, the new owner, whom he views as a ditzy blond bimbo, to ruin his chances - the only problem: Whenever they get together, sparks fly.
Faith is a straightforward, honest and likable heroine, and Ty is sexy and caring despite his initially judgmental attitude. The two share some lovely banter and an intense chemistry.
The sports descriptions are, thankfully, kept to a minimum, and the minor plot involving Faith's obnoxious stepson is relatively angst and drama free.
All in all, a light and fun read for lovers of contemporary sports romances.
February 9, 2011
I really love Rachel Gibson's writing style. All of her books I have read are very easy to read and flow through the pages.
She writes great characters that are flawed and believable she writes them to be quirky and humorous at times and usually has me laughing out loud a few times. She writes great love scene's that are smokin' that I often wish they start sooner in her novels.
When Faith Duffy’s elderly husband and Chinooks Hockey Team owner Virgil Duffy passes away and leaves her his team. Faith is truly shocked and doesn’t know what to do. She’s thinking of selling it to her pain in the arse step-son, but when he goes hostile with her she’s had a change of mind.
Tyson Savage just signed on with the Chinooks to be the team captain a few months or so before Vigil passes away. He in no way wants an ex-stripping, gold digging, playboy playmate to have ownership of the team.
When Ty and Faith have to do some photo shoots for PR both of them feel an unwanted attraction. Soon the two start seeing each other secretly. Faith feels guilty for being with Ty only a few months after her husband passes and Ty doesn’t want it ousted in fear of messing up his career.
When the pain in the rear step-son takes some incriminating photos of Ty and Faith and blackmails her into selling him the team once again. She fears Ty will be traded and tries to break things off.
I wasn’t too sure I would like Faith in the beginning because I felt she was boring. That soon changed and by ¼ of the book I liked her. I really liked Ty from the beginning especially when he went all alpha.
All in all I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes funny contemporaries with a backdrop in sports.
4½ stars
She writes great characters that are flawed and believable she writes them to be quirky and humorous at times and usually has me laughing out loud a few times. She writes great love scene's that are smokin' that I often wish they start sooner in her novels.
When Faith Duffy’s elderly husband and Chinooks Hockey Team owner Virgil Duffy passes away and leaves her his team. Faith is truly shocked and doesn’t know what to do. She’s thinking of selling it to her pain in the arse step-son, but when he goes hostile with her she’s had a change of mind.
Tyson Savage just signed on with the Chinooks to be the team captain a few months or so before Vigil passes away. He in no way wants an ex-stripping, gold digging, playboy playmate to have ownership of the team.
When Ty and Faith have to do some photo shoots for PR both of them feel an unwanted attraction. Soon the two start seeing each other secretly. Faith feels guilty for being with Ty only a few months after her husband passes and Ty doesn’t want it ousted in fear of messing up his career.
When the pain in the rear step-son takes some incriminating photos of Ty and Faith and blackmails her into selling him the team once again. She fears Ty will be traded and tries to break things off.
I wasn’t too sure I would like Faith in the beginning because I felt she was boring. That soon changed and by ¼ of the book I liked her. I really liked Ty from the beginning especially when he went all alpha.
All in all I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes funny contemporaries with a backdrop in sports.
4½ stars
August 13, 2018
yazar hanım seri boyunca bütün kadın karakterlerini itinayla harcadı ve kitapların sonunda bu durumu düzeltmek yerine seksle üstünü örttü. Neden anlamiyorum. Erkek karakterleri "iyi, harika, mükemmel ama yüzeyde kötü adam " rolündeyken kadınları çeşitli sorunlardan muzdarip bırakıp toparlamaya bile gerek görmüyor. Yani kitaptan kurgudan bir şey beklememek gerektiğinin farkındayım.Üst üste seriyi okuyunca benzerlikten dolayı çenemi tutamadım. Bu seri de bizımle deyılsin Rachel!
May 24, 2018
Los libros de Rachel Gibson siempre te hacen pasar un buen rato. De momento no he leído uno que no me haya gustado. Sí, algunos son mejores que otros, pero en general son libros que se leen solos y que te hacen disfrutar de la lectura, sobre todo si eres amante del género romántico. Y si te gustan los deportistas sexys, más.
La hirtoria de Ty y Faith es una historia de atracción, deseo y, además, prohibida. Ella ha heredado el equipo de hockey del que él es capitán. Él está centrado en su carrera y en conseguir por fin la Stanley Cup, lo último que necesita es una conejita playboy dirigiendo su equipo. Pero pronto se da cuenta de que ella es mucho más que un cuerpazo de infarto. La atracción les une, pero a medida que van pasando los días ambos empiezan a sentir mucho más. Pero si les descubren, será el fin de la carrera de Ty y, puede que Faith pierda lo que se ha convertido en algo muy importante para ella, pues por fin ha encontrado un objetivo en su vida más que ser una mujer objeto. El equipo depende de ellos, pero la pasión y el amor les arrastra a ambos.
Faith es una mujer que ha sabido jugar las cartas que la vida le ha dado. Gracias a su cuerpo, llamó la atención del dueño de los Chinooks y fue su mujer durante 5 años. Aunque no hubo nada físico entre ellos, ella le acabó amando, ya que cuidó de ella y le dio la vida que nunca soñó. Ahora tiene que hacer frente al reto de dirigir un equipo de Hockey sin saber nada del deporte, rodeada de hombres rudos y fuertes que sólo la ven como lo que fue en su día: una stripper y conejita de Playboy. Poco a poco se da cuenta de que le encanta su trabajo, le encanta el hockey y por fin tiene un objetivo en su vida.
Ty siempre ha vivido a la sombra de su padre, el legendario Pavel Savage. Quiere conseguir la Stanley Cup para superarlo y para poder cerrar su carrera en todo lo alto. Pero su destino está en manos de una conejita con manicura perfecta y cuerpo de infarto. Él no es de los que aman ni de los que se dejan llevar, tiene las cosas claras, pero la atracción que siente por Faith se convierte en algo irresistible y en mucho, mucho más. Para salvar el equipo de las garras del cruel y ambicioso hijastro de Faith, y su propio corazón, deberá tomar una gran decisión en el momento más vital de su carrera.
Como decía al principio, este libro se lee solo y se disfruta. Me ha encantado ser partícipe de la increíble atracción que unió a los dos protagonistas y ser testigo de que, a pesar de lo diferentes que son, son perfectos el uno para el otro. Faith me ha parecido una mujer muy fuerte, mucho más que un cuerpo sin cerebro, y me ha encantado ver cómo luchaba para hacerse un hueco en un mundo principalmente de hombres. Ha sido bonito verla salir de su caparazón. Y ver a Ty derretirse por ella, ha sido la guinda del pastel. Él es rudo, fuerte y...maravilloso. La química y la pasión entre ellos, irresistible. El amor que surge poco a poco, precioso. Y un final maravilloso y de película. ¿Qué más se puede pedir en un libro? Amor, romance, pasión y una historia original dentro de la típica historia del jugador y la mujer objeto. Me ha encantado.
La hirtoria de Ty y Faith es una historia de atracción, deseo y, además, prohibida. Ella ha heredado el equipo de hockey del que él es capitán. Él está centrado en su carrera y en conseguir por fin la Stanley Cup, lo último que necesita es una conejita playboy dirigiendo su equipo. Pero pronto se da cuenta de que ella es mucho más que un cuerpazo de infarto. La atracción les une, pero a medida que van pasando los días ambos empiezan a sentir mucho más. Pero si les descubren, será el fin de la carrera de Ty y, puede que Faith pierda lo que se ha convertido en algo muy importante para ella, pues por fin ha encontrado un objetivo en su vida más que ser una mujer objeto. El equipo depende de ellos, pero la pasión y el amor les arrastra a ambos.
Faith es una mujer que ha sabido jugar las cartas que la vida le ha dado. Gracias a su cuerpo, llamó la atención del dueño de los Chinooks y fue su mujer durante 5 años. Aunque no hubo nada físico entre ellos, ella le acabó amando, ya que cuidó de ella y le dio la vida que nunca soñó. Ahora tiene que hacer frente al reto de dirigir un equipo de Hockey sin saber nada del deporte, rodeada de hombres rudos y fuertes que sólo la ven como lo que fue en su día: una stripper y conejita de Playboy. Poco a poco se da cuenta de que le encanta su trabajo, le encanta el hockey y por fin tiene un objetivo en su vida.
Ty siempre ha vivido a la sombra de su padre, el legendario Pavel Savage. Quiere conseguir la Stanley Cup para superarlo y para poder cerrar su carrera en todo lo alto. Pero su destino está en manos de una conejita con manicura perfecta y cuerpo de infarto. Él no es de los que aman ni de los que se dejan llevar, tiene las cosas claras, pero la atracción que siente por Faith se convierte en algo irresistible y en mucho, mucho más. Para salvar el equipo de las garras del cruel y ambicioso hijastro de Faith, y su propio corazón, deberá tomar una gran decisión en el momento más vital de su carrera.
Como decía al principio, este libro se lee solo y se disfruta. Me ha encantado ser partícipe de la increíble atracción que unió a los dos protagonistas y ser testigo de que, a pesar de lo diferentes que son, son perfectos el uno para el otro. Faith me ha parecido una mujer muy fuerte, mucho más que un cuerpo sin cerebro, y me ha encantado ver cómo luchaba para hacerse un hueco en un mundo principalmente de hombres. Ha sido bonito verla salir de su caparazón. Y ver a Ty derretirse por ella, ha sido la guinda del pastel. Él es rudo, fuerte y...maravilloso. La química y la pasión entre ellos, irresistible. El amor que surge poco a poco, precioso. Y un final maravilloso y de película. ¿Qué más se puede pedir en un libro? Amor, romance, pasión y una historia original dentro de la típica historia del jugador y la mujer objeto. Me ha encantado.
November 30, 2025
If you know me, you know I love watching hockey. I've never played and I don't know the ins and out of the organizations and structures, but I love watching, paying attention to trades and drama, and playing in my family fantasy league. So hockey romance sounds right up my alley, but I've always hesitated because contemporary romances are not usually my thing. So I enlisted the help of the bestie and she gave me a really good rec.
For starters, I love that the main characters are older (in their 30s). It was a nice change of pace. I also really love that the FMC has a messy past - it honestly made her character really interesting and I enjoyed not having a FMC that was both confident and imperfect. She had great self awareness - she was aware of her flaws, her reasons for living life the way she has, and her strengths. We also got to see reasons for her messy life, but not in a woe is me sort of way - just matter of fact.
The MMC is a hot hockey player who is off limits giving us a bit of a forbidden thing. We got his POV here and there which was nice because who doesn't love to hear a man lusting?
The story was a bit short and formulaic, and there was a bit of repetitiveness that was mildly grating, but overall, I really enjoyed it.
It was fun to have the fake team/players with real ones. It was also funny to read it since the Kraken became a team ;)
For starters, I love that the main characters are older (in their 30s). It was a nice change of pace. I also really love that the FMC has a messy past - it honestly made her character really interesting and I enjoyed not having a FMC that was both confident and imperfect. She had great self awareness - she was aware of her flaws, her reasons for living life the way she has, and her strengths. We also got to see reasons for her messy life, but not in a woe is me sort of way - just matter of fact.
The MMC is a hot hockey player who is off limits giving us a bit of a forbidden thing. We got his POV here and there which was nice because who doesn't love to hear a man lusting?
The story was a bit short and formulaic, and there was a bit of repetitiveness that was mildly grating, but overall, I really enjoyed it.
It was fun to have the fake team/players with real ones. It was also funny to read it since the Kraken became a team ;)
January 21, 2012
I really like Rachel Gibson's books. One of the reasons is that she doesn't make sex the payoff at the end. Love is the payoff. In this case, there's a lot of sex that starts fairly early on. A lot of very hot sex. The payoff comes when the hero professes his love, refusing to let her sacrifice to "take care" of him.
I also like that Gibson's men are real men and not women in hairy suits. Being a professional hockey player, the hero is all man and talks and thinks like a real man. As long as Gibson writes smart women and manly men, I'll keep reading her books.
I also like that Gibson's men are real men and not women in hairy suits. Being a professional hockey player, the hero is all man and talks and thinks like a real man. As long as Gibson writes smart women and manly men, I'll keep reading her books.
July 16, 2016
Entre 3.5 y 4.
Hacía muuucho tiempo que no leía nada de esta autora, es más solo he leído un libro de ella, el de Jane juega y gana, que me encantó y me divirtió a partes iguales. Con este me he reído menos, aunque me ha durado un suspiro, pues es un libro que se lee en nada. Me han gustado los protagonistas, aunque la historia de amor, para mi gusto, un poco rápida. Aun así, es una muy buena opción para leer ahora en el verano :D
May 2, 2009
Normally I enjoy Rachel Gibson's books for an entertaining (guilty pleasure), easy, weekend read. This story just seemed too predictable and I just really couldn't get into her characters this time around. I actually kind of skimmed through the last chapter or so until the ending - which is normally something I don't do.
November 14, 2016
Why am I only noticing that there are books I've read ages ago and haven't added them on here?
March 29, 2019
Former Playboy Playmate and stripper inherits a hockey team...and has no clue how to deal and run a team, gets into a love/hate relationship with team captain. Trough in her former stripper mother, her dog, hero's legend hockey star father, bunch of players, evil stepson, bold dressing assistant and you got yourself a funny & light read.
July 11, 2018
This is a good book. I couldn't get into the hockey theme but still enjoyed this. Faith is a great character so it was easy to stay engaged in the pages.
December 7, 2011
First, I’m happy that Rachel Gibson is writing about hockey again.
With that said, I couldn’t relate to Faith in this book and had a hard time drumming up sympathy for her. She is a stripper turned Playboy Centerfold turned trophy wife who is struggling to find herself after her elderly husband kicks the bucket. I felt like I needed a little more back-story on her character. She totally despised her childhood and her mother’s lifestyle as a stripper, yet followed in her mother’s footsteps. WHY? Faith was admittedly a gold-digger and worried too much what everyone thought. Just a little too shallow for my reading tastes.
I really wanted to like Ty, but he only had two moods: grouchy and horny. (Loved his tattoo and blue eyes though!)
These two definitely had hotness going for them, but I never really felt the love.
The name dropping and over-used designer names left me feeling cold.
Same goes with the many references to the hockey dudes refusing to shave because of superstitions. I got it the first time.
Finally, I would’ve enjoyed the games scenes more if the author had her hockey lingo and facts right. She was slightly off.
I’ve heard the next book in the series is better, so I’m going to give it a fair shot. I’m a BIG fan of some of RG’s older books.
If you want to read a good book about a woman inheriting a professional sport’s team, try Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s It Had To Be You. Same theme – similar stories – but with SEP’s wit and gift for dialogue.
With that said, I couldn’t relate to Faith in this book and had a hard time drumming up sympathy for her. She is a stripper turned Playboy Centerfold turned trophy wife who is struggling to find herself after her elderly husband kicks the bucket. I felt like I needed a little more back-story on her character. She totally despised her childhood and her mother’s lifestyle as a stripper, yet followed in her mother’s footsteps. WHY? Faith was admittedly a gold-digger and worried too much what everyone thought. Just a little too shallow for my reading tastes.
I really wanted to like Ty, but he only had two moods: grouchy and horny. (Loved his tattoo and blue eyes though!)
These two definitely had hotness going for them, but I never really felt the love.
The name dropping and over-used designer names left me feeling cold.
Same goes with the many references to the hockey dudes refusing to shave because of superstitions. I got it the first time.
Finally, I would’ve enjoyed the games scenes more if the author had her hockey lingo and facts right. She was slightly off.
I’ve heard the next book in the series is better, so I’m going to give it a fair shot. I’m a BIG fan of some of RG’s older books.
If you want to read a good book about a woman inheriting a professional sport’s team, try Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s It Had To Be You. Same theme – similar stories – but with SEP’s wit and gift for dialogue.
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