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janetted 's review for:
Rookie Mistake
by L.A. Witt, Anna Zabo
I wasn’t sure whether to write a review for this book, but I made a promise to myself to always try to explain my reaction to books I rate three stars or less. Partly for the benefit of other readers, but also as a personal reminder months or years from now when I’m struggling to recall my thoughts and feelings.
In the past, I’ve enjoyed books written by both of these authors, so you can imagine my surprise to find myself not as enamored with this one as I’d hoped. I love hockey romance. I enjoy heavy, emotional storylines. So why was this one not really working for me?
Let me start by saying the hockey portions are fantastic. The action on the ice and attention to detail made those sections some of my favorite of the story. Some sports romances don’t do the heavy lifting to make sure it feels authentic to game, and I appreciate the effort that went into making this one genuine.
Similarly, the difficult content dealing with emotional abuse and trauma was well done. Is the entire plot telegraphed from early in the book? Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling or impactful as it plays out on the page. The build up, conflict and resolution was riveting, and I found myself flying through that portion of the story.
Where I struggled overall was my anticipation of a slow burn romance with tension and chemistry between teammates that was in reality more of a spontaneous bonfire complete with role reversal. Their connection is immediate, and it ramps up quickly. Not far into the story, I reached a point where I thought maybe I misunderstood who Isaac and Julien were supposed to be. I’m in favor of discovering unknown character depths and contradicting stereotypes, but there were aspects of each I couldn't reconcile with the guys introduced in the beginning.
Feeling a little unmoored about Isaac and Julien’s relationship overall definitely made me hyperaware of other aspects that didn’t work for me. I’ll admit some of it is personal preference; there were parts that seemed unnecessarily detailed or repetitive. Rinse. Repeat. I’m not usually thrown out of the story in situations like that, and there were times when I was distracted by details that should have been inconsequential. One example: at risk of spoiling anything, there’s a scene where they’re off to grab lunch and decide to order room service instead. On the way to the hotel they’re interrupted, and when they finally arrive, they end up in an intimate moment. They never eat. No one ever mentions that they don’t - it’s just forgotten. Probably by everyone but me.
I’m happy for the many readers who seem to be enjoying this story. It’s not bad per se, I feel like maybe it’s trying to do too much. I’m very intrigued by the relationship between Nikki and Elias, so I will definitely be giving the second book a try. I’m hopeful that will be a better experience.
In the past, I’ve enjoyed books written by both of these authors, so you can imagine my surprise to find myself not as enamored with this one as I’d hoped. I love hockey romance. I enjoy heavy, emotional storylines. So why was this one not really working for me?
Let me start by saying the hockey portions are fantastic. The action on the ice and attention to detail made those sections some of my favorite of the story. Some sports romances don’t do the heavy lifting to make sure it feels authentic to game, and I appreciate the effort that went into making this one genuine.
Similarly, the difficult content dealing with emotional abuse and trauma was well done. Is the entire plot telegraphed from early in the book? Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling or impactful as it plays out on the page. The build up, conflict and resolution was riveting, and I found myself flying through that portion of the story.
Where I struggled overall was my anticipation of a slow burn romance with tension and chemistry between teammates that was in reality more of a spontaneous bonfire complete with role reversal. Their connection is immediate, and it ramps up quickly. Not far into the story, I reached a point where I thought maybe I misunderstood who Isaac and Julien were supposed to be. I’m in favor of discovering unknown character depths and contradicting stereotypes, but there were aspects of each I couldn't reconcile with the guys introduced in the beginning.
Feeling a little unmoored about Isaac and Julien’s relationship overall definitely made me hyperaware of other aspects that didn’t work for me. I’ll admit some of it is personal preference; there were parts that seemed unnecessarily detailed or repetitive. Rinse. Repeat. I’m not usually thrown out of the story in situations like that, and there were times when I was distracted by details that should have been inconsequential. One example: at risk of spoiling anything, there’s a scene where they’re off to grab lunch and decide to order room service instead. On the way to the hotel they’re interrupted, and when they finally arrive, they end up in an intimate moment. They never eat. No one ever mentions that they don’t - it’s just forgotten. Probably by everyone but me.
I’m happy for the many readers who seem to be enjoying this story. It’s not bad per se, I feel like maybe it’s trying to do too much. I’m very intrigued by the relationship between Nikki and Elias, so I will definitely be giving the second book a try. I’m hopeful that will be a better experience.