Book Blurb:
Most people have no regrets. She has one.
Harper Crawford is a big fan of the Newport Beach Seagulls, despite their abysmal previous season. It's been a year since Ken Brown's murder and Seraphina Hanson, Ken's youngest granddaughter, just survived her first year as the new owner and manager of the national hockey team. Barely. The last year was dismal to the point where Seraphina is making drastic changes. Like hiring Harper as their official blogger. Harper gets to travel with the team, write character pieces, critiques, game summaries, and the like. It's her dream job.
Another change? Putting together practically a new team, including Zachary Ryan, first line center. At six foot four and two hundred and twenty pounds, he is tall, dark blond, and solid muscle. He's arrogant and direct and the minute he sees Harper at Taboo nightclub during a team bonding session dressed in a plaid shirt and converse sneakers, he has to get to know her better.
Except there's a problem from her past that won't go away. Harper has an ex that won't stay in her past - where he belongs. He starts showing up at her place, reminding her of all the wrong choices she made, bringing up things she wants nothing more than to forget. When Zachary gets involved, things get heated and his notorious temper flares.
Harper doesn't want to get involved with a hockey player - especially with an overzealous ex who won't leave her alone - but Zachary plans to change her mind. No matter what the cost.
Tropes:
*Hockey Romance *Work place romance *Hockey Player x Journalist/blogger *toxic ex
*spice *protective MMC *State Challenge: California (Repeat)
*trigger warnings -DV
Thoughts:
This is the second time I've read this book and this time I read it as part of a group challenge I'm in this book was one of the options on a bingo board, I already had this one in my kindle and haven't read it in a few years so thought I would give it a re-read to help our group!
To start with we have Harper a sports blogger who is a fan of the local hockey team the seagulls... unfortunately in recent years due to a series of unfortunate and tragic events (namely the owner's death) and a losing team most of the better players of the team requested trades leaving to the new owner (the grand daughter) having to put together a team from scratch.
With efforts to change things and in need of some good publicity Seraphina (new owner) decides to hire Harper to work for the team as their personal blogger she's happy for the opportunity this is a dream come true. Another change for the team is aquiring Zach Ryan (MMC) from another team who wanted him to go after a scandal of sorts involving a team mates wife... while he hasn't openly shared his side of the story he hasn't done anything to settle the rumors either... Harper has a big task here making this team look good.
Harper's job with the team puts her closer together with many of the players including Zach and she just can't believe that any of the rumors she's heard are true he is nothing like what the gossip says... although he may be dangerous to her heart, especially since she her last relationship was a dumpster fire.
In comes the Ex, Harper wants nothing to do with this guy but since the restraining order ended and she forgot to refile he's coming around again... trying to get close and thinks he has a say in her life and who she dates... newsflash he does not.
This was a shorter book and even though it's a "hockey" romance the hockey is in the way back as like a side story, they spend more time at the club, hotel, or her apartment and I would have liked a little bit more of the sport to be in the story, or even portions of some of the articles she was writing about the team, when mentioned it usually was brief and that she "turned it in" to her boss.
I enjoyed the relationship Harper has with her grandmother and I did like seeing both of our leads let down their walls and fall for each other... even though it did feel like it happened super quick. I appreciated how protective Zach was over Harper.
Harper and the ex... she should have immediately gone to see if she could get a new restraining order against the guy as soon as he started coming around again... he was bad news and I don't think that she should have been around him at all let alone meet him willingly even though she had her reasons. There were a few issues with the time line as well at one point the relationship with her ex had been over for like 8 months and another point in the book it was a few years. The other thing that bothered me at one point was that she was so sick she had to call out of work yet the MMC comes over to bring her soup and then they end up in bed together... not sleeping...I'm sorry but if she's that sick let that girl eat her soup and sleep she's not well enough to do all that.
There were a few other issues with the plot but I over looked some things I know it's fiction and enjoyed the story enough to be willing to read it for a 2nd time and plan to continue the series. Amazon labels this as an enemies to lovers trope... I didn't get those vibes.
Have you read this one? What did you think?
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