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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Aww. ..made me cry!!! great story btn Calder and Becca. a story about relenting control, acceptance and love
Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: B
What stood out most about Across the Line was the romance; it’s a very sweet romance and I liked that it felt like Calder and Becca dealt with real-life issues. There’s nothing overly dramatic or forced about what they go through. But they do have some things to work out and it came across as real as (I assume) dating an NHL player can be!
We follow Calder and Becca through their first meeting on a plane when they realize that they actually went to school together, but it wasn’t a great trip down memory lane. Becca was teased when she was younger and Calder was a part of that. But he’s determined to get to know her and finds reasons to be around her. They do the long distance thing but after a devastating fire changes the direction of Becca’s life, she makes a leap and throws herself into their relationship, fully committed.
I liked how the story and the series in general, focuses on the couple and their issues with making their relationship work. There’s no outside angst, no other parties influencing them, it’s just about the couple, in this case Calder and Becca, trying to mesh their lives to make it work. And it’s hard. There are bumps along the way and in Becca’s case, some eye opening she needs to do on her end. I did find both Calder and Becca to come across a bit immature in some scenes. It was a combination of their actions and dialogue but it came off a bit ‘young’ on page.
That said, Calder is a sweet hero. I like seeing both sides of him, the personal where he’s trying to make a relationship with Becca work, both long distance and when she moves to the west coast to be with him full time and his professional side. Not only his being an NHL player and coming back from an injury, but having to share the ice alongside his brother, a man he butts heads with more times than not. That actually ended up being a really interesting dynamic to see play out, especially when it’s clear that Calder doesn’t know his older brother at all.
While Calder and Becca may not have grabbed me as hard and fast as Tim and Erin did in book 1 of this series, On the Surface, I still enjoyed their romance and seeing their relationship grow. I like what Kate Willoughby’s bringing with this series and look forward to seeing what’s next.
Blog rating: B
What stood out most about Across the Line was the romance; it’s a very sweet romance and I liked that it felt like Calder and Becca dealt with real-life issues. There’s nothing overly dramatic or forced about what they go through. But they do have some things to work out and it came across as real as (I assume) dating an NHL player can be!
We follow Calder and Becca through their first meeting on a plane when they realize that they actually went to school together, but it wasn’t a great trip down memory lane. Becca was teased when she was younger and Calder was a part of that. But he’s determined to get to know her and finds reasons to be around her. They do the long distance thing but after a devastating fire changes the direction of Becca’s life, she makes a leap and throws herself into their relationship, fully committed.
I liked how the story and the series in general, focuses on the couple and their issues with making their relationship work. There’s no outside angst, no other parties influencing them, it’s just about the couple, in this case Calder and Becca, trying to mesh their lives to make it work. And it’s hard. There are bumps along the way and in Becca’s case, some eye opening she needs to do on her end. I did find both Calder and Becca to come across a bit immature in some scenes. It was a combination of their actions and dialogue but it came off a bit ‘young’ on page.
That said, Calder is a sweet hero. I like seeing both sides of him, the personal where he’s trying to make a relationship with Becca work, both long distance and when she moves to the west coast to be with him full time and his professional side. Not only his being an NHL player and coming back from an injury, but having to share the ice alongside his brother, a man he butts heads with more times than not. That actually ended up being a really interesting dynamic to see play out, especially when it’s clear that Calder doesn’t know his older brother at all.
While Calder and Becca may not have grabbed me as hard and fast as Tim and Erin did in book 1 of this series, On the Surface, I still enjoyed their romance and seeing their relationship grow. I like what Kate Willoughby’s bringing with this series and look forward to seeing what’s next.
Wasn't wild about this book either. There was a lot of misogynistic language that's probably true to real life but was really, really unnecessary in this. Also, the scene with the so-called "puck bunny" at the wedding was really, really unnecessary to me, especially since not once has Willoughby included anything near to the same level of judgment about Alex, who's notably a "Casanova."
I liked that Willoughby decided to include a more diverse cast of characters, including gay ones, but I felt like this was really stereotypical rom-com. I also didn't appreciate how the big impediment to their relationship was all on Becca, and she just had to learn to open her heart and trust Calder. (Although that too seems to be a very common trope in romances of these sort.)
Finally, it doesn't really seem like Willoughby has that much of a sense of hockey on the whole. She can certainly use Google, but the fact that the only hockey content in this book is one fight and some name-dropping of famous players and teams is pretty noticeable to me.
Overall, there is nothing remarkable about this, and if you're sensitive to misogynistic undertones (and also pretty overt tones), you should probably give it a miss.
I liked that Willoughby decided to include a more diverse cast of characters, including gay ones, but I felt like this was really stereotypical rom-com. I also didn't appreciate how the big impediment to their relationship was all on Becca, and she just had to learn to open her heart and trust Calder. (Although that too seems to be a very common trope in romances of these sort.)
Finally, it doesn't really seem like Willoughby has that much of a sense of hockey on the whole. She can certainly use Google, but the fact that the only hockey content in this book is one fight and some name-dropping of famous players and teams is pretty noticeable to me.
Overall, there is nothing remarkable about this, and if you're sensitive to misogynistic undertones (and also pretty overt tones), you should probably give it a miss.
A fun and enjoyable ice hockey romance novel :) Becca was an interesting heroine and Griff was suitably hunky.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am confuse with what I am suppose to feel about this book. See... i like the idea of flirting on the plane. First class and next to you is a handsome man. Stranger. The sex is great. Sexy and steamy.
The plot then goes back and forth between the heroine and the hero. We can learn about their past, family and up bringing. While keep having hot sex. I like the whole idea.
But....
Somehow I lost in translation. Somewhere in the middle of the book, I got bored. Is it the story too long? Draging with the same plot over and over again? The cinversation becomes dry?? Not sure.
What I know I end up luke warm to Across the Lane. Nothing memorable feeling at the end.
The plot then goes back and forth between the heroine and the hero. We can learn about their past, family and up bringing. While keep having hot sex. I like the whole idea.
But....
Somehow I lost in translation. Somewhere in the middle of the book, I got bored. Is it the story too long? Draging with the same plot over and over again? The cinversation becomes dry?? Not sure.
What I know I end up luke warm to Across the Lane. Nothing memorable feeling at the end.
4.5* A really enjoyable read, loved the main characters and the additional storyline. Am looking forward to reading more of this series and hope Alex 'Sully' Sullivan story is next. If you are a fan of Toni Aleo's Assassins series, or Jaci Burton's play by play series you are sure to enjoy this!
This is the second book in the In the Zone series. Like the first book, there is a lot of reference to and descriptions of hockey in it, which is nice for the fans.
The story follows Calder Griffin and Becca Chen. Calder is one of the enforcer type players that stay in the background on the ice, supporting the runs of the headliners to the goal. He is constantly trying not to be compared to his older brother Hart and found lacking. The story line covers the brothers reunion and changes in their relationship as the story develops. Becca Chen is a cafe owner in Boston. She comes from an Old World Chinese home where she has angered her parents by not following their idea of her life, having planned on her being a doctor. They happen to meet by chance on an airplane and they slowly begin to develop a cross-country relationship. The story primarily focuses on Calder and how he deals with shifting into his first real relationship in a long while and his confusing relationship with his brother.
I liked the story line. It had some general aspects, but the author developed them in a good way. The couple has its share of fights and making-up, but like the other books in the series, this is not an erotica novella. Calder and Becca fight over the same things that most couples fight over, which made the story more realistic and interesting. I particularly liked how the author helped develop Becca near the end of the book. Also, the side story of Hart is done extremely well. I hope he has his own story in the future. Another good read, by Willoughby. I would recommend this to romance and hockey fans.
https://bookmouseblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/across-the-line-in-the-zone-2-by-kate-willoughby/
The story follows Calder Griffin and Becca Chen. Calder is one of the enforcer type players that stay in the background on the ice, supporting the runs of the headliners to the goal. He is constantly trying not to be compared to his older brother Hart and found lacking. The story line covers the brothers reunion and changes in their relationship as the story develops. Becca Chen is a cafe owner in Boston. She comes from an Old World Chinese home where she has angered her parents by not following their idea of her life, having planned on her being a doctor. They happen to meet by chance on an airplane and they slowly begin to develop a cross-country relationship. The story primarily focuses on Calder and how he deals with shifting into his first real relationship in a long while and his confusing relationship with his brother.
I liked the story line. It had some general aspects, but the author developed them in a good way. The couple has its share of fights and making-up, but like the other books in the series, this is not an erotica novella. Calder and Becca fight over the same things that most couples fight over, which made the story more realistic and interesting. I particularly liked how the author helped develop Becca near the end of the book. Also, the side story of Hart is done extremely well. I hope he has his own story in the future. Another good read, by Willoughby. I would recommend this to romance and hockey fans.
https://bookmouseblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/across-the-line-in-the-zone-2-by-kate-willoughby/
Review Posted: Book Bitch
These books are so cute and adorable. I was really excited to pick this one up and get going, as I liked the first one so much. This one was good - though I was not entirely pleased by the pace of the book. And I really wanted Calder's brother story to be bigger. That was probably the most exciting part for me. I wish he had had his own book really. That relationship was totally awesome.
But other than that, the story was kind of slow moving. And I had a realization that shit was way too good way too early and bad things were on the way for Calder and Becca. That can be annoying...
Naturally, this being an easy going romance, the reason the bad stuff happened was because both parties were being unnecessarily dramatic.
Kind of cute, and kind of necessary. But come on, let's get on with it. Yes, yes you're all adorable. Let's move on and get back to happiness and togetherness.
Ah! It worked. They were adorable again and worked their drama fantastically! Huzzah!
Okay, all that nonsense being said - I did like this story. Yes, the drama in the middle did seem a bit drawn out, but I liked the formation of the story and the development of the characters. I do stand by my earlier comment about big brother having a more interesting story - but - read it and you'll agree. It's pretty great.
Kate Willoughby, this was a great story with awesome characters, you nailed it.
These books are so cute and adorable. I was really excited to pick this one up and get going, as I liked the first one so much. This one was good - though I was not entirely pleased by the pace of the book. And I really wanted Calder's brother story to be bigger. That was probably the most exciting part for me. I wish he had had his own book really. That relationship was totally awesome.
But other than that, the story was kind of slow moving. And I had a realization that shit was way too good way too early and bad things were on the way for Calder and Becca. That can be annoying...
Naturally, this being an easy going romance, the reason the bad stuff happened was because both parties were being unnecessarily dramatic.
Kind of cute, and kind of necessary. But come on, let's get on with it. Yes, yes you're all adorable. Let's move on and get back to happiness and togetherness.
Ah! It worked. They were adorable again and worked their drama fantastically! Huzzah!
Okay, all that nonsense being said - I did like this story. Yes, the drama in the middle did seem a bit drawn out, but I liked the formation of the story and the development of the characters. I do stand by my earlier comment about big brother having a more interesting story - but - read it and you'll agree. It's pretty great.
Kate Willoughby, this was a great story with awesome characters, you nailed it.
Rating: 3.5/5
Save for the mild fetishistic language regarding Becca's Asian appearance (if I got a dollar for every time I've seen the term "almond-shaped" or "distinctive" eyes), I really enjoyed this story. And while the length of it surprised me a bit, I loved that even after the "I love yous" there were still other conflicts to resolve. It didn't feel like a typical contemporary/sports romance.
But seriously, it pays to do research, people. We don't all have tiger moms and we don't like to be known for our "distinctive eyes" or be the "epitome of Asian beauty"... we're human like you. Like your neighbour. Your barista. Your accountant. So please don't put us on some pedestal of exoticism and otherness.
Save for the mild fetishistic language regarding Becca's Asian appearance (if I got a dollar for every time I've seen the term "almond-shaped" or "distinctive" eyes), I really enjoyed this story. And while the length of it surprised me a bit, I loved that even after the "I love yous" there were still other conflicts to resolve. It didn't feel like a typical contemporary/sports romance.
But seriously, it pays to do research, people. We don't all have tiger moms and we don't like to be known for our "distinctive eyes" or be the "epitome of Asian beauty"... we're human like you. Like your neighbour. Your barista. Your accountant. So please don't put us on some pedestal of exoticism and otherness.