Monty Jay: Shattered Ice

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54494406-shattered-ice

Fury Book #3 can be read as a stand alone

Malakai Petrov is a wall in more ways than one he is a goalie and used to blocking goals, but he also has walls up around his heart he suffered terrible abuse as a young child in Russia growing up in a brothel with his mother and even though he was able to leave his terrible situation as a teenager when his mother passed away and he went to live with his aunt in the States some scars stay.

Charlotte runs into Malakai in a chance encounter while on a school trip she is brilliant and even though their meeting is short the mysterious stranger who creates beautiful art (he's been doing graffiti) he leaves a lasting impression on her and no other guy has measured up to this handsome artist, she even chose the school she attended in hopes that she would run into him again one day.  

Malakai agrees to let his teammate move in with him while his place is being renovated... shortly after he agrees to also let his team mates twin sister move in and this might be the worst decision he's ever made as this girl from his past doesn't keep to herself like he had hoped she barges into his life and makes him see the world in a different way his world is brighter with her in it and since he has been living with the pain of his dark past he doesn't know how to deal with this intrusion into his heart.  

The longer they are together the closer they get and he is losing his inner battle with keeping her as just his room mate when she makes him want things he doesn't deserve to have will he finally be able to let love in or will he keep his walls up?  Also will Charlottes brother be accepting of their relationship if this turns into something more? 

*Netgalley  *twin brother's best friend *childhood trauma  *FMC is dealing with a sick mother 

*strangers --> more  *Spice  *hockey romance  *sports romance *musician FMC *long term pining (FMC)  *Goalie  *Brooding MMC  *State Challenge Illinois 

*darker sides of life (childhood trauma, side character dealing with addiction related issues) --> Check your trigger warnings if you read this book 

Thoughts:

Likes: 

Both leads are broken in different ways and even though Malakai feels he isn't worthy of love Charlotte comes along and rocks his world in a good way even when he wants to distance himself he can't help the pull he feels towards her and once they come together it is truly beautiful like the healing/mending of two imperfect souls.

Where Malakai is closed off and doesn't know how to love, Charlotte has enough love for both of them and it makes the ending so sweet. 

I enjoy Hockey Romances and while this book had darker themes which is different from what I usually read and maybe could have been a bit longer to deal with some of these more emotional situations that the characters were dealing with I enjoyed the story overall and liked the ending.  

Dislikes:

Charlotte distanced herself from her mother (suffering with dementia) and her brother for a few years because she was struggling with her mom remembering her brother and not her, I get she was feeling forgotten but her brother was struggling in his own ways and really could have used her support during this time he was hurting too.

I felt that the book was fairly short so everything had to happen really quickly leaving some of the story line to feel more rushed and not as natural for pacing.  

Kai is really cruel to Charlotte to push her away after she has a moment of vulnerability and shares her feelings due to his own feelings of low self worth... Charlotte really lets him off easy when he comes to his senses about his own feelings.