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bethspikin's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really enjoyed this book as a nice lighthearted romance to read in between two thrillers. This grumpy-sunshine hockey romance was a good read, enjoyed the spicy scenes from a male POV especially. This book was equally funny, romantic, spicy and serious with some hard hitting topics. I did get a bit confused with all of the characters at times. Especially the players in the hockey team, trying to figure out who was who kind of got to me eventually as I felt they weren’t introduced thoroughly enough! All in all, was an enjoyable read, not obsessed but liked it enough to have some fun with it!
lesleyt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookfortbuilder's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cschaepe84's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a great book that I enjoyed very much, and a much better hockey romance than the last one I read. It's got tension and drama, and high stakes, as our heroes Jordan and Levi much choose whether for follow their hearts or their beliefs one what they think is the right thing.
First, we have Jordan, a sport reporter who is trying to make a name for herself and get her big break. The problem??? Her big break comes in the form of one Levi Hunt, her late husband's best friend, of whom she shares a rather dark history with--having kissed him the day she buried her husband in an alcohol and grief fueled moment of passion. The other problem?? Levi can't STAND Jordan, making it more difficult write up her profile. In order for her to get her major break, she'll have to break his shell.
Then there's Levi. He's starting his hockey career late at the ripe old age of 30 after having done a stint with the Green Berets. Needless to say, he has a lot on his plate being a bit rusty in his game and having to prove his place in his career. Making it worse is one Jordan Cooke, the secret object of his affection. Nevertheless, his true feeling for Jordan is not the only secret he keeps.
Forced to spend time together, Jordan and Levi have to confront the past while struggle with the undeniable attraction and sparks of desire brewing between them. With her job and reputation and job on the line, any kind of relationship between Jordan and Levi is forbidden. But that proves to be harder than Jordan or Levi can possibly imagine, despite Levi being haunted by the ghost of Jordan's past as well as his own self-doubt as to whether her feelings are genuine--or is she just trying to get her story??
There's so much to love here. The extra characters were great and added a terrific ensemble (Theo is just the best--so cute and funny) and the I love how Jordan and Levi's worlds collide and the conflicts that ensues the closer they get. So why only four stars???
Well, what I wasn't crazy about is the strong #MeToo subplot being touted. I felt that it took away too much from Jordan and Levi's issues, which are deep enough as is, so the story ends up losing focus at times. Sometimes I felt annoyed, others I felt preached at about misogyny, lack of female equality, etc. There was so much to work with between Jordan and Levi's problems, that that point felt a little unnecessary and overdone. It was kind of like throwing a wet blanket over a sizzling fire. Also, as much as I loved the extra characters, at times the book meandered to their storylines too, although I know this is mostly because they were in previous books, but it could have focused a lot less on them. Though I loved how much page time Theo got and he was such a joy to read.
Lastly, and this pains me so...but for all the female equality, #MeToo gusto this book shoves down my throat, I have to say, Levi Hunt is somewhat chauvinistic. He's also a bit boring and lacking in personality. Sure, he's an angel and a good guy, (as the title) but his goodness came at the price of giving him a personality. Had it not been for these flaws this book would have gotten a five-star easy.
Nonetheless, I absolutely enjoyed the read, and would love to take a peek what the characters in this universe are up to in other books (Especially Theo. I would love to read the book where he had his brain aneurysm and how he overcame his adversity).
First, we have Jordan, a sport reporter who is trying to make a name for herself and get her big break. The problem??? Her big break comes in the form of one Levi Hunt, her late husband's best friend, of whom she shares a rather dark history with--having kissed him the day she buried her husband in an alcohol and grief fueled moment of passion. The other problem?? Levi can't STAND Jordan, making it more difficult write up her profile. In order for her to get her major break, she'll have to break his shell.
Then there's Levi. He's starting his hockey career late at the ripe old age of 30 after having done a stint with the Green Berets. Needless to say, he has a lot on his plate being a bit rusty in his game and having to prove his place in his career. Making it worse is one Jordan Cooke, the secret object of his affection. Nevertheless, his true feeling for Jordan is not the only secret he keeps.
Forced to spend time together, Jordan and Levi have to confront the past while struggle with the undeniable attraction and sparks of desire brewing between them. With her job and reputation and job on the line, any kind of relationship between Jordan and Levi is forbidden. But that proves to be harder than Jordan or Levi can possibly imagine, despite Levi being haunted by the ghost of Jordan's past as well as his own self-doubt as to whether her feelings are genuine--or is she just trying to get her story??
There's so much to love here. The extra characters were great and added a terrific ensemble (Theo is just the best--so cute and funny) and the I love how Jordan and Levi's worlds collide and the conflicts that ensues the closer they get. So why only four stars???
Well, what I wasn't crazy about is the strong #MeToo subplot being touted. I felt that it took away too much from Jordan and Levi's issues, which are deep enough as is, so the story ends up losing focus at times. Sometimes I felt annoyed, others I felt preached at about misogyny, lack of female equality, etc. There was so much to work with between Jordan and Levi's problems, that that point felt a little unnecessary and overdone. It was kind of like throwing a wet blanket over a sizzling fire. Also, as much as I loved the extra characters, at times the book meandered to their storylines too, although I know this is mostly because they were in previous books, but it could have focused a lot less on them. Though I loved how much page time Theo got and he was such a joy to read.
Lastly, and this pains me so...but for all the female equality, #MeToo gusto this book shoves down my throat, I have to say, Levi Hunt is somewhat chauvinistic. He's also a bit boring and lacking in personality. Sure, he's an angel and a good guy, (as the title) but his goodness came at the price of giving him a personality. Had it not been for these flaws this book would have gotten a five-star easy.
Nonetheless, I absolutely enjoyed the read, and would love to take a peek what the characters in this universe are up to in other books (Especially Theo. I would love to read the book where he had his brain aneurysm and how he overcame his adversity).
eeshea's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mnwakeford's review against another edition
3.0
A hockey romance that was okay
I thought I was going to like this more than I ended up doing. There were strong grumpy/sunshine vibes and the hero was of the strong silent and very protective type, so what's not to like? However, as the story progressed, I found myself getting increasingly annoyed at the FMC and the plot/writing degenerated into trite, predictable territory. Epilogue was irritatingly bad.
I thought I was going to like this more than I ended up doing. There were strong grumpy/sunshine vibes and the hero was of the strong silent and very protective type, so what's not to like? However, as the story progressed, I found myself getting increasingly annoyed at the FMC and the plot/writing degenerated into trite, predictable territory. Epilogue was irritatingly bad.
amjcbs's review against another edition
1.0
Good plot idea. Truly horrible writing and execution. There are much better hockey romances. One of the worst books I’ve ever read.
jenna_manning's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
haleysasha4's review against another edition
3.5
3.5⭐️ this was a cute book, kind of a slow burn and second chance romance.
Jordan is a journalist set to write a profile on Levi, the new hockey pro that served in the military (with her late-husband). Levi has a hard time opening up to her for the interviews because he’s been holding back his crush on his best friends gf/wife ever since he met her.
Jordan is a journalist set to write a profile on Levi, the new hockey pro that served in the military (with her late-husband). Levi has a hard time opening up to her for the interviews because he’s been holding back his crush on his best friends gf/wife ever since he met her.
laylalouslibrary's review against another edition
2.0
2.5! I really struggled through this, idk why but I just didn’t get into it as much as I hoped I would