Book Blurb:
After a phone call, secrets about Aspen’s life are unveiled. Between the discovery of her past and the complications that arise in her small Oklahoma hometown, the single mom finds herself suddenly moving to New York to start a new career and a new life with her ten-year-old son.
Callan is the center iceman for The New York Blaze. He’s focused on one thing and one thing his professional hockey career. After his life was upended, he wants no complications, no distractions.
A series of chance encounters between Aspen and Callan force them together and turns their world upside down.
This is the first installment in The Blaze Hockey Series.
This book is a standalone and ends with a happily ever after.
Tropes:
*High Gravity ALC *Hockey Romance *broody MMC *Single parent (FMC)
*banter *emotional read *grief *Slow burn *Neighbors *Boss x employee
*spice *workplace romance *Enemies --> friends --> more *found family
*State Challenge New York (repeat) **Check trigger warnings
Thoughts:
First of all Thank you to the author and High Gravity Productions for this Audiobook! I'm a huge hockey romance fan and I was excited to start this one! I've read at least 60 Hockey romance books and this one didn't disappoint.
Callan (MMC) is a broody NHL star who has been going thru the motions of life but not really living for several years, we as the reader know it has something to do with his past but don't find out more of the story until later in the book. He has been on his current New York team after being traded and the contract ends at the end of this season so he has some big choices to make.
Aspen (FMC) is a single mom who has recently moved across country to New York to start her new job taking over for her father who recently passed away (not expected). Aspen has big shoes to fill as she's not only starting this new role... she's the boss/owner of a professional hockey team... talk about big life changes. She never met her father and is now upset with her mom for keeping so many things from her.
Callan and Aspen have a less than ideal initial meeting in the way of a fender bender where they both exchange less than pleasant words... turns out they will be seeing a lot of each other since they live across the street from each other and Callan is one of Aspen's star players.
I really enjoyed watching Callan and Aspen go from sharing barbs to finally settling on a truce and becoming friends... but underneath all that there is a buzzing chemistry they both like each other but are holding back due to their past history. Will they be able to let their guards down enough to let each other in and be more than friends?
But Aspen also has her son to worry about because Tucker (son) loves Callan and what if they they try something more and it ends badly... Tucker would be crushed! on the other side of the coin what if everything comes together and they could help heal each other, what if they are each others missing half.
Aspen's doesn't have a good history with men in her mind men in her life are no show's or they leave as evidenced by her own father and her son's father who isn't in the picture.
Callan has a truly heartbreaking back story and there must have been someone chopping onions in the room when he finally willing to open up and share his story.
This was a slow burn and I appreciated that they truly were friends by the point that they decided they were ready for more it made it feel more believable.
Some Things that were off for me:
1) I didn't really understand the whole situation with Aspen's father staying away from her in order to "protect" her... I think that since he was such a family man I think her parents would have found some way for him to be in her life without her getting put in the public eye.
2) once the spice was introduced it just didn't feel like what they were doing would have been for them... seemed like it was more tossed in to make the book a bit more naughty (?)... just felt awkward for this couple.
3) sometimes the dialog felt like it was meant for younger characters, it was heavier on slang and curse words
4) towards the end some information comes out and I felt by that point Aspen would/should have been more understanding and allowed Callan to at least explain himself but instead she shut him down and needed space, I just didn't feel that she would have done that since she had been open to communication and even demanded it prior to this event.
5) sometimes it felt like the scenes were really pushing for setting up the couple for the next story but I was still trying to stay more with the couple from this book.
Overall I truly enjoyed this story and the narrators did a great job bringing these characters to life, this was a heartfelt story about 2 broken souls coming together and building their own family. If you are a hockey romance fan like me add this one to your list! I'm looking forward to getting to the next book in the series.
Have you read this book? what did you think?
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