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A review by hotmessmamareads
Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson
3.0
I'm really stuck between giving this a 3 or 4-stars and wish Goodreads would let me give half-stars, because I'd probably give this 3.5.
Another fun read from Rachel Gibson, one of my all-time favorites (because SEE JANE SCORE was groundbreaking for me as a 17-year-old). I have a particular soft spot for hockey romance novels being a massive hockey fan myself. This one, like every other Gibson I've read, delivers humor and heart--but I thought a few things kind of prevented me from liking this more.
So, we have a bright, spunky (as much as I dislike 'spunky' heroines) Chelsea Ross, a struggling actress who's returned to Seattle to regroup. She needs money for breast reduction surgery so she can secure more serious acting roles in Hollywood and the Chinooks organization is willing to give it to her--if she can tough out at least three months working as the personal assistant of a cantankerous, moody hockey superstar.
Mark Bressler has a lot to be pissed off about. His team just won hockey's holy grail, the Stanley Cup, and they did it without him thanks to an off-ice accident that nearly cost him his life. Everything he's worked his whole life for is fractured and locked in his anger and depression. Mark need a lot of healing. And Chelsea's the one who helps him down that path.
I really enjoyed the glimpses we get into each character's previous lives. Moments like when Mark reflects on his childhood and how he tries to resist becoming reliant on the painkillers. There was a part of me that wanted to see him wrestle with that, but then I have to take a step back and think about what kind of book I'm reading here. This is a contemporary, feel-good romance and walking the path to tangle with addiction would've made this story much darker. So, I can let that go, but do feel it would've been interesting.
Aside from that, the pacing of the novel was quick. I devoured it in two days' time with lots of room in my day to finish up other tasks. I didn't have to think too much about following the story but that's because the plot did feel a little on the shallow end--but that's kind of what I was in the mood for anyway, so that worked for me but might not for other readers. There wasn't any huge, looming threat overshadowing their romance, and I felt that the problem these two faced wasn't really that big of a problem. Kind of like a blown out of proportion misunderstanding, which didn't make me feel like 'oh man, how are these two going to survive this blow?!'.
That said, I also had conflicting feelings about Chelsea seemingly giving up her pursuit of her dream. Maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but I liked that Mark offered to split their time between Seattle and LA in hopes of supporting both of their careers--and when she shoots that down to say she's going to stay in Seattle with him, well... I don't know, it just didn't sit well with me. I still want to see my heroines pursue their dreams--the ones that had nothing to do with finding a man.
But despite this issues, I still really enjoyed the book as a whole. It felt fun and flashy, and the hockey stuff was right (a huge, huge deal when you're a hockey fan like me and my girlfriends are). I could've done with a little more heat, a little more depth, and a blacker black moment, but you know what? I liked it! Three stars! Or... 3.5.
Another fun read from Rachel Gibson, one of my all-time favorites (because SEE JANE SCORE was groundbreaking for me as a 17-year-old). I have a particular soft spot for hockey romance novels being a massive hockey fan myself. This one, like every other Gibson I've read, delivers humor and heart--but I thought a few things kind of prevented me from liking this more.
So, we have a bright, spunky (as much as I dislike 'spunky' heroines) Chelsea Ross, a struggling actress who's returned to Seattle to regroup. She needs money for breast reduction surgery so she can secure more serious acting roles in Hollywood and the Chinooks organization is willing to give it to her--if she can tough out at least three months working as the personal assistant of a cantankerous, moody hockey superstar.
Mark Bressler has a lot to be pissed off about. His team just won hockey's holy grail, the Stanley Cup, and they did it without him thanks to an off-ice accident that nearly cost him his life. Everything he's worked his whole life for is fractured and locked in his anger and depression. Mark need a lot of healing. And Chelsea's the one who helps him down that path.
I really enjoyed the glimpses we get into each character's previous lives. Moments like when Mark reflects on his childhood and how he tries to resist becoming reliant on the painkillers. There was a part of me that wanted to see him wrestle with that, but then I have to take a step back and think about what kind of book I'm reading here. This is a contemporary, feel-good romance and walking the path to tangle with addiction would've made this story much darker. So, I can let that go, but do feel it would've been interesting.
Aside from that, the pacing of the novel was quick. I devoured it in two days' time with lots of room in my day to finish up other tasks. I didn't have to think too much about following the story but that's because the plot did feel a little on the shallow end--but that's kind of what I was in the mood for anyway, so that worked for me but might not for other readers. There wasn't any huge, looming threat overshadowing their romance, and I felt that the problem these two faced wasn't really that big of a problem. Kind of like a blown out of proportion misunderstanding, which didn't make me feel like 'oh man, how are these two going to survive this blow?!'.
That said, I also had conflicting feelings about Chelsea seemingly giving up her pursuit of her dream. Maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but I liked that Mark offered to split their time between Seattle and LA in hopes of supporting both of their careers--and when she shoots that down to say she's going to stay in Seattle with him, well... I don't know, it just didn't sit well with me. I still want to see my heroines pursue their dreams--the ones that had nothing to do with finding a man.
But despite this issues, I still really enjoyed the book as a whole. It felt fun and flashy, and the hockey stuff was right (a huge, huge deal when you're a hockey fan like me and my girlfriends are). I could've done with a little more heat, a little more depth, and a blacker black moment, but you know what? I liked it! Three stars! Or... 3.5.