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A review by honeybluecaving624
Hat Trick by Chelsea Curto
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
5.0
This is one of the reviews where I could simply just state that I absolutely loved this book, I got no notes for it, and be done. But, that's not what I'm going to do. Buckle in because we got another long review coming your way!
***
Hat Trick is the fourth book in the D.C. Stars series by Chelsea Curto. I don't know if there are any words to simply describe just how much I've been anticipating this book since it just wouldn't leave my brain, my dreams, that's how hyped I was for this book.
This one focuses on Lexi Armstrong and Riley Mitchell, who, within the series, there's been bits and pieces and hints of them throughout, and now we finally have the spotlight on these two.
To quote myself, this is what I stated for when I read the first beginning parts of Hat Trick: Hat Trick is already starting out very different. And, it is, in fact, very different from Slap Shot, and gave me emotional whiplash.
The story starts out withLexi, and she's out at the club and there's a guy who's flirting with her, which she doesn't feel that great with, and that's when she leaves to go and see the DC Stars, who are now the new Stanley Cup champions and are celebrating their win.
After she chats with them, she almost trips and fall, but Riley Mitchell, their star defenseman, helps her out. Lexi admits that out of all the guys, Riley is her most favorite. He's a sweetheart, bashful, and Lexi tends to ignore when it comes to the others telling her that he has a crush on her.
Their festivities continue with the Stanley Cup celebrations and they go to another club downtown. Riley takes his time to chat with the guys, but then he disappears after that. Riley also goes up to see Lexi, who he can't help but be in love with her since they've met (to add, he's 26 and she's 32).
After the celebration, Riley decides to hitch a ride home, so he gets into an Uber with the driver, named Lamar, and Lamar explains his life with how he's going to have a baby, and Riley states how he doesn't have anyone with him, but Lamar believes he can find someone. They continue to talk, but then everything changes.
The car is in the air and flips, everything around Riley goes blurry, and the last thing he sees is his hand covered in blood and then it goes black.
Lexi finds out from Piper that Riley has been in an accident and she immediately goes to see him, and the team, at the hospital. From there, they find out that Riley was in the car and they got T-boned by a person who ran a red light, going very fast. Plus, the driver was impaired. Lamar managed to call 911, then he got Riley's phone and called Maverick to let them know. Lexi states to Lamar, when she talks to him, that it wasn't his fault for the accident.
The team then finds out from the doctor that Riley has to have a transfemoral amputation, in other words, he'll lose his leg above the knee. From there, he's going to be fitted with a prosthetic, recondition his muscles, and make sure to relearn different things, with it estimating to take up to a year.
So, with that, Lexi has a goal: To get Riley skating again.
Months go by, and Riley doesn't feel great. He feels powerless, angry at the fact that he can't skate with the boys, can't shoot in the net, all these hockey things he can't be able to do. Riley has been doing the therapy sessions with Dr. Ledlow, but even he's not a fan of it. Riley also thinks about the fact that he has to function with using and learning the prosthesis.
Later, Lexi thinks about what she's done since working her way up into becoming the Head Athletic Trainer for the D.C. Stars. She goes into the meeting, along with Riley, and she comes up with a rehabilitation plan for them to work on. Riley isn't a fan of how the men in the room are the ones basically ignoring Lexi's words when it came to her plan that she came up with, and so, they agree that Lexi will lead him into doing the rehabilitation.
Lexi also takes the time to think about their Coach, Brody Saunders, and how poorly his rehabilitation got handled. He was a great hockey player, but then he got an injury that caused him to retire permanently. But, from there, he took up coaching. He is, as Lexi states, sarcastic, blunt, and has dry humor, and he has his daughter, Olivia, who's twelve. (Also, like, lowkey kind of looking 👀 at him because he got tattoos, 6'6, and dark hair and eyes. Like, damn.)
Coach talks to Lexi and he talks about how Riley's mother mentioned him about not wanting to be alive anymore. It hurts Lexi to hear that Riley is struggling. Coach tells Lexi that she's going to work with Riley in close capacity, and, while he isn't having said thoughts, he wanted to let her know about it.
And that's just the first bit. To put it into words, I went into the mindset of reading this book with an R&R, not rest and relaxation, but for this book, it's both a Romance story and a Recovery one. The romance being between Riley and Lexi, and the recovery being with Riley Mitchell and his journey with wanting to get back onto the ice to skate again.
There's a moment in which Lexi and Riley are both eating at a diner, and they decide to come up with a Life List. Riley states the things that he wants to do, like go onto Ethan's motorcycle, go on a roller coaster and scream, skinny dipping, eat spicy food, get another tattoo, have a mind blowing kiss with someone, and learn to skate again.
With the recovery process, it's one that for Lexi, it's somewhat difficult for her because it's the first time that she's worked with an amputee, but she's also someone who doesn't want to fail and make sure everything she does with Riley works out.
Oh, and of course, the Romance. There is tension between Riley and Lexi that simmers throughout the book, such as the bit in which she sees him shirtless for the first time, and there's, from Riley's side, when the both of them have the Pilates class together early, and his thoughts on wanting to know what their relationship would be like. And things do go that way.
Lexi and Riley go to a hotel room and then she simply wants him to kiss her, and also, make her come. So, he does so, and it's simply just a one night thing, with nothing between them happening after that. Or so, they think.
Before we even get into that, I do want to also add in the little moments sprinkled throughout the book that made me cry. For starters, Lexi and Riley giving gifts to one another and the fact that Riley got Lexi a Building Business book since she wants to start her own Pilates studio in the future, and Lexi gifting him a frame of the Life List and also new skates, specifically one's that match up with his prosthetic foot (since his feet aren't the same size anymore).
Oh, and I'd also like to add in to, by far, Hat Trick is definitely the spiciest in the series. It's especially the case seeing as there is bondage involved and also breath play/sexual choking (it is consensual, to add). All I can say is that when those moments hit within the book, they hit because damn.
I will say the one thing that I appreciate with this book, and honestly, the series itself, is just how communicative they are, especially during sex. Like, the whole moment where Riley gives background on Shibari over to her, and admits he's not into the BDSM lifestyle, that he'll take it slow, he'll check in and they need to communicate, and establishes safe words.
The two also form a friends with benefits relationship throughout the book. It does makes sense, story wise, that the sex is spread out, and again, when those scenes hit, they hit. Chapter 36 is living rent free in my head.
Going to add this here, but here are the spicy chapters: 21, 22, 31, 36, 44 (towards the end), 45, 47 (towards the end), 48.
Also, of course, the found family with everyone in this series! The boys and having their book club was hilarious. Oh, and the fact that the guys came around to help Riley out with getting back on the ice and skating got me going 🥹. Matter of fact, there were plenty of moments that made me 🥹, holding back or just crying in general. As I stated, Hat Trick is so different, and also heavier compared to the other books in the series.
Riley and Lexi I just absolutely loved throughout this book, from their dynamic with one another. Friends to lovers AND he's so down bad for her. The way that Riley remembers everything that Lexi has stated that no one else does, and how Lexi also helps Riley out with his recovery, but also does things for him too.
Like, the moment where they go to NYC and Lexi, thanks to Maverick's donation, rents out the amusement park at so that way he can complete his Life List with the rollercoaster and also playing games. Also, him going out of the way to find Tulips so he can gift them to her.
Riley going out of his way to coach the Stars team while Saunders was out was also great in the book. Plus, the guys helping out Riley with learning how to drive back out on the road again.
Oh, also Lexi massaging Riley's leg, twice, were sweet moments too.
I will admit that for a while, I was wondering as to why the Hat Trick cover was purple, and it does get to that moment where Lexi is wearing a big purple shirt that Riley gave to her.
Now, back to their relationship, Riley confesses over to Lexi about how he appreciates the friends with benefits relationship, but he wants to do so much more with Lexi, like go out on a date, and do all of these different things with her. And, if things don't work out, they can still be friends.
Oh, and the tattoos scene! With Lexi getting Riley a rollercoaster and Riley getting Lexi a tattoo to represent her friendship with the girls 🥹. That also got me too.
And, now, before we conclude things, I do want to talk about the last remaining stretch of chapters.
Lexi tells Riley everything about why she didn't date. She explains to him how her Dad left her and her mom when she was younger, not knowing why. This caused her to want attention from guys because she didn't receive it at home. For her, she figured that kissing and getting sexually involved with them was to get what she wanted. So, into her twenties age, it was basically sex for her. At twenty-four, she found one guy and got attached to them, made her feel good, and while it was physical, they texted, and it lasted a year and a half. That is, until he had to leave town for work, Lexi figured he was lying, and that's when she discovers from his social media that he had a wife and kids. His wife in a message calls her a homewrecker, a whore, and that no man would ever date her. Lexi thinks that she's a temporary fix, a vehicle for their pleasure and can't connect with someone on a deeper level, and this causes Lexi to think that the guy's wife was right, but Riley is angry at it, because she got blamed for the whole thing.
Riley then tells Lexi that she can trust him, and that he won't ever treat her like some thing. To quote him: "And yeah, you've made some mistakes, but who the fuck hasn't? I don't care about how many people you've slept with. I don't care about the guys who came before me, because I'm the one here with you right now. And I'm so fucking lucky."
Lexi states she hasn't told the girls the story, because she doesn't want them to see her differently based on what she did in the past, since they're mostly married, and Riley states that they wouldn't look at her in a different way. Lexi asks Riley about the star clusters tattoo means, and he states that it's for the stars in the sky when he went into the arena for the first time, and also when he met her. Lexi talks about how she heard from the girls that he's had a crush on her but she brushed it aside, and Riley flat out states: "There's a reason why I haven't dated anyone since I got to DC. I know not a goddamn one of them would ever compare to you."
Later, Riley gets a message from Coach telling him to meet him in his office, and that's when he asks him about how he's feeling, and Riley says that he's great. Saunders also adds that he doesn't care about their personal relationships, as long as it doesn't affect either of their jobs. He states that he got a phone call from Michigan and that they want him on as a scout, to fill in the spot. He adds that they'd have to void his contract, and he can turn it down if he doesn't want it.
So, Riley goes to tell Lexi about the whole thing, and this causes Lexi to simply tell him that he should go, since it's his future. Riley states how he sees that Lexi wants to run because she's scared, and that he's not going to let her go. Because he loves her. Like, the whole fucking quote GOT ME!
"You want to know why I've had all those good days? Because you were there. Because I've been an idiotic, pathetic, mess of a man since the first day I saw you. I can't think straight when you're around. I can't walk right when you smile at me. I can't....I can't fucking breathe unless you're looking at me. And everything in your past might have fallen apart, but we won't. We can't, because deep down, I know you love me too."
"I love you," I repeat, ..... "And I'm going to love you for as long as you'll let me."
This causes Lexi, to get up and walk, not saying it back and disappears. From there, the boys have book club together, and Riley believes that he messed up since Lexi hasn't talked to him for a week.
This is the 50th chapter, and it's also hilarious because the guys basically go out of their way to discuss Riley and his relationship with Lexi, and also women. Like, this baffles Riley and he wonders when they all got so deep on the whole thing. As Hudson states: "Women are complicated creatures. They're not easy to read, but they're the only reason any of us are on the path we're on right now." Even Ethan gives out advice for what Riley should do, and it's to wait. They also take the time to talk about the job.
After the guys have their talk, Lexi talks over to the girls about everything with Riley, and Lexi realizes everything that they've done for each other, and how she loves him.
Lexi goes to see Riley and she apologizes for making him wait so long, and for pushing him away, all these things. Riley also adds that he turned down the interview and will stay in DC, and he can wait a decade for the coach or scout position, and he wants to skate.
Lexi confesses that she loves him, and they kiss, the same with Riley.
Then, Riley states how the guys made it to the Eastern Conference finals and they're going to have one more dinner with the team at Maverick and Emmy's. They all eat, chat, and Maverick wants them to take a group photo, since their social media department wants them too.
And, another reveal happens, with Maverick stating how her and Emmy are planning to have a child, and everyone is happily freaking out about it. Noted as Baby Hartwell-Miller. Maverick also tells Riley how him being in the hospital was the worst night, but for Baby H's birth, it's going to be the best.
There's also discussion with Maverick and possibly retiring, since he has four years left on his contract, and wants to spend time with his girls, but, he's unsure.
Lexi tells Riley if he notices how much he loves her, to which he notices a lot. And, that it's been the best day for him.
Finally, we get the epilogue. Eight months go by, and Riley is talking with Lexi, and on a new team, being the Comets. Since the months he's done strength training, skating morning and night, and getting back on the ice, Marcus decides to renegotiate his contract, to be on loan, for a minor league conditioning assignment. So, he goes between the AHL and NHL, and he's debuting with their affiliate team.
Lexi boosts his confidence, and he also appreciates her wearing his jersey. Riley wonders about if he'll be treated differently because of how he looks, and Lexi tells him that no one will criticize him for being nervous.
And when Riley goes out there, he sees that ALL OF THEM came out to support them. All twenty-six and wearing his jersey. Grant and Ethan are there, plus Piper, Liam, Maverick and Emmy with their daughter, Hudson, Madeline, and Coach, plus his parents, Marcus, and Lamar with his son.
They explain that Liam was the one who suggested that they go and see him. Lexi knew about it, so it's why she pretended to not feel well (cramps), being for a good cause.
Riley gets out on the ice and he feels great! And, from there, Riley and the Comets team win, three to two. Their official also states that he's the first star for their night!
In the end, Riley talks with the Stars, with them stating how great he did, and even Lamar and his son, Mikey, loved it. Riley thanks him for saving his life and that he's forever indebted to him, plus, he stayed and stuck around.
Lexi comes by and is proud of Riley, and they look at the Life List. They've added much more to it, including opening the Pilates studio and one of the classes is designed for people with disabilities.
Riley checks off the list, and he also notes the others, which are:
-Get Lexi to like me
-Get Lexi to fall in love with me
-Get Lexi to spend the rest of her life with me
And Lexi agrees to all three, with Riley stating how it's a hat trick. So, besides the title drop, there's also the double meaning in which a hat trick is "three scores in a row or in the same game". And Riley wins that.
So yeah, this was a long review. All in all, I absolutely LOVED this book. By far, my favorite in the series.
I will say that I did notice howthe trial got skipped , but it did make sense for that to happen from a story perspective. The only critique I have is that there was a bit of an odd pacing moment somewhere in the moment, like it slowed for a bit, but then after that it picked up the pace again.
And now, with me having caught up with this series. I figured it's times for me to do a ranking for the first four books in this series! And some bonus ones. Overall, this was very hard for me to decide.
But, down below here are my categories for each one, and personal rankings. Note that things will change as time goes on. I'm mainly ranking the first four books. But, then I'll rank the last three and the overall series once I'm finished.
Some of these rankings I'll put comments on, but not all.
****
Favorite Book Ranking (So Far):
-Hat Trick
-Slap Shot
-Face Off
-Power Play [For me, I did like this one. But, not as much as Face Off.]
Favorite Couple (So Far):
-Riley + Lexi [Literally SOULMATES. I absolutely loved their dynamic]
-Hudson + Madeline [Again, close second. This was hard]
-Emmy + Maverick [Very close to Hudson and Madeline. I loved both, and still do, very much]
-Piper + Liam
Favorite MMC (So Far):
-Hudson Hayes [Again, him and Riley can interchange. Like, this is one of those where I'd say that it's pretty much a tie between both Hudson and Riley for the top spot, I love them both. But Hudson is still my top fave.]
-Riley Mitchell [This and Hudson can literally interchange. This was HARD. I love BOTH so, so much.]
-Maverick Miller
-Liam Sullivan
Favorite FMC (So Far):
-Lexi Armstrong [By far, my most favorite in the Stars series, so far. I do love the girls, but Lexi definitely takes the top spot]
-Emerson "Emmy" Hartwell & Madeline Galloway [Respectfully, it's definitely a tie between these two. Both of them can interchange in terms of the 2nd and 3rd place. What both of them have had to navigate and go through in their stories, and their relationships they've had from Maddie with Lucy and Emmy with navigating the NHL as a woman, again, I loved so much]
-Piper Mitchell
Most Emotional (made me cry): Slap Shot [There are no words to describe how many tears I shed for this book, with all the moments that Hudson has with the girls, the epilogue, like, all the moments in this book had me sobbing]
Most Steamiest: Hat Trick [I have no idea how hotter things will get from here, or even surpass it, but DAMN the sex scenes in this book got me. Again, chapter 36 is going to live rent free in my head.]
Extra Notes: I absolutely am HYPED for Coach Brody's book! Coming out this Fall!
Also, from reading the hints in the books with the guys throughout those series (dark romance, cowboy, basketball, etc), Curto is planning those out and I cannot WAIT!
***
Hat Trick is the fourth book in the D.C. Stars series by Chelsea Curto. I don't know if there are any words to simply describe just how much I've been anticipating this book since it just wouldn't leave my brain, my dreams, that's how hyped I was for this book.
This one focuses on Lexi Armstrong and Riley Mitchell, who, within the series, there's been bits and pieces and hints of them throughout, and now we finally have the spotlight on these two.
To quote myself, this is what I stated for when I read the first beginning parts of Hat Trick: Hat Trick is already starting out very different. And, it is, in fact, very different from Slap Shot, and gave me emotional whiplash.
The story starts out with
After she chats with them, she almost trips and fall, but Riley Mitchell, their star defenseman, helps her out. Lexi admits that out of all the guys, Riley is her most favorite. He's a sweetheart, bashful, and Lexi tends to ignore when it comes to the others telling her that he has a crush on her.
Their festivities continue with the Stanley Cup celebrations and they go to another club downtown. Riley takes his time to chat with the guys, but then he disappears after that. Riley also goes up to see Lexi, who he can't help but be in love with her since they've met (to add, he's 26 and she's 32).
After the celebration, Riley decides to hitch a ride home, so he gets into an Uber with the driver, named Lamar, and Lamar explains his life with how he's going to have a baby, and Riley states how he doesn't have anyone with him, but Lamar believes he can find someone. They continue to talk, but then everything changes.
The car is in the air and flips, everything around Riley goes blurry, and the last thing he sees is his hand covered in blood and then it goes black.
Lexi finds out from Piper that Riley has been in an accident and she immediately goes to see him, and the team, at the hospital. From there, they find out that Riley was in the car and they got T-boned by a person who ran a red light, going very fast. Plus, the driver was impaired. Lamar managed to call 911, then he got Riley's phone and called Maverick to let them know. Lexi states to Lamar, when she talks to him, that it wasn't his fault for the accident.
The team then finds out from the doctor that Riley has to have a transfemoral amputation, in other words, he'll lose his leg above the knee. From there, he's going to be fitted with a prosthetic, recondition his muscles, and make sure to relearn different things, with it estimating to take up to a year.
So, with that, Lexi has a goal: To get Riley skating again.
Months go by, and Riley doesn't feel great. He feels powerless, angry at the fact that he can't skate with the boys, can't shoot in the net, all these hockey things he can't be able to do. Riley has been doing the therapy sessions with Dr. Ledlow, but even he's not a fan of it. Riley also thinks about the fact that he has to function with using and learning the prosthesis.
Later, Lexi thinks about what she's done since working her way up into becoming the Head Athletic Trainer for the D.C. Stars. She goes into the meeting, along with Riley, and she comes up with a rehabilitation plan for them to work on. Riley isn't a fan of how the men in the room are the ones basically ignoring Lexi's words when it came to her plan that she came up with, and so, they agree that Lexi will lead him into doing the rehabilitation.
Lexi also takes the time to think about their Coach, Brody Saunders, and how poorly his rehabilitation got handled. He was a great hockey player, but then he got an injury that caused him to retire permanently. But, from there, he took up coaching. He is, as Lexi states, sarcastic, blunt, and has dry humor, and he has his daughter, Olivia, who's twelve. (Also, like, lowkey kind of looking 👀 at him because he got tattoos, 6'6, and dark hair and eyes. Like, damn.)
Coach talks to Lexi and he talks about how Riley's mother mentioned him about not wanting to be alive anymore. It hurts Lexi to hear that Riley is struggling. Coach tells Lexi that she's going to work with Riley in close capacity, and, while he isn't having said thoughts, he wanted to let her know about it.
And that's just the first bit. To put it into words, I went into the mindset of reading this book with an R&R, not rest and relaxation, but for this book, it's both a Romance story and a Recovery one. The romance being between Riley and Lexi, and the recovery being with Riley Mitchell and his journey with wanting to get back onto the ice to skate again.
There's a moment in which Lexi and Riley are both eating at a diner, and they decide to come up with a Life List. Riley states the things that he wants to do, like go onto Ethan's motorcycle, go on a roller coaster and scream, skinny dipping, eat spicy food, get another tattoo, have a mind blowing kiss with someone, and learn to skate again.
With the recovery process, it's one that for Lexi, it's somewhat difficult for her because it's the first time that she's worked with an amputee, but she's also someone who doesn't want to fail and make sure everything she does with Riley works out.
Oh, and of course, the Romance. There is tension between Riley and Lexi that simmers throughout the book, such as the bit in which she sees him shirtless for the first time, and there's, from Riley's side, when the both of them have the Pilates class together early, and his thoughts on wanting to know what their relationship would be like. And things do go that way.
Lexi and Riley go to a hotel room and then she simply wants him to kiss her, and also, make her come. So, he does so, and it's simply just a one night thing, with nothing between them happening after that. Or so, they think.
Before we even get into that, I do want to also add in the little moments sprinkled throughout the book that made me cry. For starters, Lexi and Riley giving gifts to one another and the fact that Riley got Lexi a Building Business book since she wants to start her own Pilates studio in the future, and Lexi gifting him a frame of the Life List and also new skates, specifically one's that match up with his prosthetic foot (since his feet aren't the same size anymore).
Oh, and I'd also like to add in to, by far, Hat Trick is definitely the spiciest in the series. It's especially the case seeing as there is bondage involved and also breath play/sexual choking (it is consensual, to add). All I can say is that when those moments hit within the book, they hit because damn.
I will say the one thing that I appreciate with this book, and honestly, the series itself, is just how communicative they are, especially during sex. Like, the whole moment where Riley gives background on Shibari over to her, and admits he's not into the BDSM lifestyle, that he'll take it slow, he'll check in and they need to communicate, and establishes safe words.
The two also form a friends with benefits relationship throughout the book. It does makes sense, story wise, that the sex is spread out, and again, when those scenes hit, they hit. Chapter 36 is living rent free in my head.
Going to add this here, but here are the spicy chapters: 21, 22, 31, 36, 44 (towards the end), 45, 47 (towards the end), 48.
Also, of course, the found family with everyone in this series! The boys and having their book club was hilarious. Oh, and the fact that the guys came around to help Riley out with getting back on the ice and skating got me going 🥹. Matter of fact, there were plenty of moments that made me 🥹, holding back or just crying in general. As I stated, Hat Trick is so different, and also heavier compared to the other books in the series.
Riley and Lexi I just absolutely loved throughout this book, from their dynamic with one another. Friends to lovers AND he's so down bad for her. The way that Riley remembers everything that Lexi has stated that no one else does, and how Lexi also helps Riley out with his recovery, but also does things for him too.
Like, the moment where they go to NYC and Lexi, thanks to Maverick's donation, rents out the amusement park at so that way he can complete his Life List with the rollercoaster and also playing games. Also, him going out of the way to find Tulips so he can gift them to her.
Riley going out of his way to coach the Stars team while Saunders was out was also great in the book. Plus, the guys helping out Riley with learning how to drive back out on the road again.
Oh, also Lexi massaging Riley's leg, twice, were sweet moments too.
I will admit that for a while, I was wondering as to why the Hat Trick cover was purple, and it does get to that moment where Lexi is wearing a big purple shirt that Riley gave to her.
Now, back to their relationship, Riley confesses over to Lexi about how he appreciates the friends with benefits relationship, but he wants to do so much more with Lexi, like go out on a date, and do all of these different things with her. And, if things don't work out, they can still be friends.
Oh, and the tattoos scene! With Lexi getting Riley a rollercoaster and Riley getting Lexi a tattoo to represent her friendship with the girls 🥹. That also got me too.
And, now, before we conclude things, I do want to talk about the last remaining stretch of chapters.
Lexi tells Riley everything about why she didn't date. She explains to him how her Dad left her and her mom when she was younger, not knowing why. This caused her to want attention from guys because she didn't receive it at home. For her, she figured that kissing and getting sexually involved with them was to get what she wanted. So, into her twenties age, it was basically sex for her. At twenty-four, she found one guy and got attached to them, made her feel good, and while it was physical, they texted, and it lasted a year and a half. That is, until he had to leave town for work, Lexi figured he was lying, and that's when she discovers from his social media that he had a wife and kids. His wife in a message calls her a homewrecker, a whore, and that no man would ever date her. Lexi thinks that she's a temporary fix, a vehicle for their pleasure and can't connect with someone on a deeper level, and this causes Lexi to think that the guy's wife was right, but Riley is angry at it, because she got blamed for the whole thing.
Riley then tells Lexi that she can trust him, and that he won't ever treat her like some thing. To quote him: "And yeah, you've made some mistakes, but who the fuck hasn't? I don't care about how many people you've slept with. I don't care about the guys who came before me, because I'm the one here with you right now. And I'm so fucking lucky."
Lexi states she hasn't told the girls the story, because she doesn't want them to see her differently based on what she did in the past, since they're mostly married, and Riley states that they wouldn't look at her in a different way. Lexi asks Riley about the star clusters tattoo means, and he states that it's for the stars in the sky when he went into the arena for the first time, and also when he met her. Lexi talks about how she heard from the girls that he's had a crush on her but she brushed it aside, and Riley flat out states: "There's a reason why I haven't dated anyone since I got to DC. I know not a goddamn one of them would ever compare to you."
Later, Riley gets a message from Coach telling him to meet him in his office, and that's when he asks him about how he's feeling, and Riley says that he's great. Saunders also adds that he doesn't care about their personal relationships, as long as it doesn't affect either of their jobs. He states that he got a phone call from Michigan and that they want him on as a scout, to fill in the spot. He adds that they'd have to void his contract, and he can turn it down if he doesn't want it.
So, Riley goes to tell Lexi about the whole thing, and this causes Lexi to simply tell him that he should go, since it's his future. Riley states how he sees that Lexi wants to run because she's scared, and that he's not going to let her go. Because he loves her. Like, the whole fucking quote GOT ME!
"You want to know why I've had all those good days? Because you were there. Because I've been an idiotic, pathetic, mess of a man since the first day I saw you. I can't think straight when you're around. I can't walk right when you smile at me. I can't....I can't fucking breathe unless you're looking at me. And everything in your past might have fallen apart, but we won't. We can't, because deep down, I know you love me too."
"I love you," I repeat, ..... "And I'm going to love you for as long as you'll let me."
This causes Lexi, to get up and walk, not saying it back and disappears. From there, the boys have book club together, and Riley believes that he messed up since Lexi hasn't talked to him for a week.
This is the 50th chapter, and it's also hilarious because the guys basically go out of their way to discuss Riley and his relationship with Lexi, and also women. Like, this baffles Riley and he wonders when they all got so deep on the whole thing. As Hudson states: "Women are complicated creatures. They're not easy to read, but they're the only reason any of us are on the path we're on right now." Even Ethan gives out advice for what Riley should do, and it's to wait. They also take the time to talk about the job.
After the guys have their talk, Lexi talks over to the girls about everything with Riley, and Lexi realizes everything that they've done for each other, and how she loves him.
Lexi goes to see Riley and she apologizes for making him wait so long, and for pushing him away, all these things. Riley also adds that he turned down the interview and will stay in DC, and he can wait a decade for the coach or scout position, and he wants to skate.
Lexi confesses that she loves him, and they kiss, the same with Riley.
Then, Riley states how the guys made it to the Eastern Conference finals and they're going to have one more dinner with the team at Maverick and Emmy's. They all eat, chat, and Maverick wants them to take a group photo, since their social media department wants them too.
And, another reveal happens, with Maverick stating how her and Emmy are planning to have a child, and everyone is happily freaking out about it. Noted as Baby Hartwell-Miller. Maverick also tells Riley how him being in the hospital was the worst night, but for Baby H's birth, it's going to be the best.
There's also discussion with Maverick and possibly retiring, since he has four years left on his contract, and wants to spend time with his girls, but, he's unsure.
Lexi tells Riley if he notices how much he loves her, to which he notices a lot. And, that it's been the best day for him.
Finally, we get the epilogue. Eight months go by, and Riley is talking with Lexi, and on a new team, being the Comets. Since the months he's done strength training, skating morning and night, and getting back on the ice, Marcus decides to renegotiate his contract, to be on loan, for a minor league conditioning assignment. So, he goes between the AHL and NHL, and he's debuting with their affiliate team.
Lexi boosts his confidence, and he also appreciates her wearing his jersey. Riley wonders about if he'll be treated differently because of how he looks, and Lexi tells him that no one will criticize him for being nervous.
And when Riley goes out there, he sees that ALL OF THEM came out to support them. All twenty-six and wearing his jersey. Grant and Ethan are there, plus Piper, Liam, Maverick and Emmy with their daughter, Hudson, Madeline, and Coach, plus his parents, Marcus, and Lamar with his son.
They explain that Liam was the one who suggested that they go and see him. Lexi knew about it, so it's why she pretended to not feel well (cramps), being for a good cause.
Riley gets out on the ice and he feels great! And, from there, Riley and the Comets team win, three to two. Their official also states that he's the first star for their night!
In the end, Riley talks with the Stars, with them stating how great he did, and even Lamar and his son, Mikey, loved it. Riley thanks him for saving his life and that he's forever indebted to him, plus, he stayed and stuck around.
Lexi comes by and is proud of Riley, and they look at the Life List. They've added much more to it, including opening the Pilates studio and one of the classes is designed for people with disabilities.
Riley checks off the list, and he also notes the others, which are:
-Get Lexi to like me
-Get Lexi to fall in love with me
-Get Lexi to spend the rest of her life with me
And Lexi agrees to all three, with Riley stating how it's a hat trick. So, besides the title drop, there's also the double meaning in which a hat trick is "three scores in a row or in the same game". And Riley wins that.
So yeah, this was a long review. All in all, I absolutely LOVED this book. By far, my favorite in the series.
I will say that I did notice how
And now, with me having caught up with this series. I figured it's times for me to do a ranking for the first four books in this series! And some bonus ones. Overall, this was very hard for me to decide.
But, down below here are my categories for each one, and personal rankings. Note that things will change as time goes on. I'm mainly ranking the first four books. But, then I'll rank the last three and the overall series once I'm finished.
Some of these rankings I'll put comments on, but not all.
****
Favorite Book Ranking (So Far):
-Hat Trick
-Slap Shot
-Face Off
-Power Play [For me, I did like this one. But, not as much as Face Off.]
Favorite Couple (So Far):
-Riley + Lexi [Literally SOULMATES. I absolutely loved their dynamic]
-Hudson + Madeline [Again, close second. This was hard]
-Emmy + Maverick [Very close to Hudson and Madeline. I loved both, and still do, very much]
-Piper + Liam
Favorite MMC (So Far):
-Hudson Hayes [Again, him and Riley can interchange. Like, this is one of those where I'd say that it's pretty much a tie between both Hudson and Riley for the top spot, I love them both. But Hudson is still my top fave.]
-Riley Mitchell [This and Hudson can literally interchange. This was HARD. I love BOTH so, so much.]
-Maverick Miller
-Liam Sullivan
Favorite FMC (So Far):
-Lexi Armstrong [By far, my most favorite in the Stars series, so far. I do love the girls, but Lexi definitely takes the top spot]
-Emerson "Emmy" Hartwell & Madeline Galloway [Respectfully, it's definitely a tie between these two. Both of them can interchange in terms of the 2nd and 3rd place. What both of them have had to navigate and go through in their stories, and their relationships they've had from Maddie with Lucy and Emmy with navigating the NHL as a woman, again, I loved so much]
-Piper Mitchell
Most Emotional (made me cry): Slap Shot [There are no words to describe how many tears I shed for this book, with all the moments that Hudson has with the girls, the epilogue, like, all the moments in this book had me sobbing]
Most Steamiest: Hat Trick [I have no idea how hotter things will get from here, or even surpass it, but DAMN the sex scenes in this book got me. Again, chapter 36 is going to live rent free in my head.]
Extra Notes: I absolutely am HYPED for Coach Brody's book! Coming out this Fall!
Also, from reading the hints in the books with the guys throughout those series (dark romance, cowboy, basketball, etc), Curto is planning those out and I cannot WAIT!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content
Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy