kfriend 's review for:

If You Love Me by Helena Hunting

4.5

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The Toronto Terror series has fast become my favorite from Helena Hunting. Brimming with heart, sizzling heat, and the most quirky and charismatic characters in the best hockey found family around- I just can’t get enough of this feel-good, witty, and effortlessly charming series. If You Love Me has everything I adore about this series- the humor, the tension, the unforgettable funny and sexy moments…and it has even more emotion. This one has felt the sweetest and most emotionally rich of them all, and I could not stop reading/listening. One of my favorites in the series!

I’ve long since been excited for grumpy goalie Roman Hammerstein to find his HEA. And turns out his match is in the form of a blast from the past- a girl he’s been pining for since they hooked up three years ago. Only now he’s the new Toronto Terror assistant coach (YES FOR GIRLS COACHING!). Lexi is super focused and committed to her job- she’s making history after all. She knows when she arrives that Roman is there…but she hopes perhaps she didn’t quite leave the unforgettable mark on him that he left on her. But fate, and life, are not that easy- Roman certainly remembers her, and the chemistry, the attraction, the longing is still there for both of them.

Oh so much forbidden tension! Obviously their love is forbidden- and so they have to really fight off their undeniable and magnetic chemistry. Which is much easier said than done since the pull between them is unforgiving. They can’t help but ultimately give in after fighting the attraction, which means they have to keep their history, and their present, a secret. SO MUCH TENSION! SO MUCH LONGING! SO MUCH HEAT BETWEEN THEM! It’s consuming.

Roman is everything I wanted and expected. We’ve seen him as a doting and thoughtful dad to Peggy (from my OTHER favorite in the series)- and now we get to see him through a whole new lens. He’s still thoughtful, gentle, ridiculously swoony. But he’s also possessive and protective, and brings a little more demand and edge in the bedroom (the mouth on this man- YAAAS). I love how the real “dad” of the group- the level, reliable, stoic goalie is completely unsettled by his new coach. It’s so adorable to watch him falling and falling hard.

And Lexi. Three cheers for female coach representation! And she’s also just a girl boss all around. Hard-working, smart, and also taking care of our siblings after losing her parents. This job isn’t just a huge milestone for her (and for women) but it’s also the much needed stability for her family. The stakes are SO high for her- and Roman being so irresistible and addictive makes things complicated for her. But he also becomes her safe space to land. She takes care of everyone- and Roman is the strength she needs for when she needs to not be the strong one, when she needs a place to crumble. My goodness I adored them together- and how deeply they respect and admire one another. They relate on a truly cellular level. The chemistry is really profound and emotive and nuanced - it was mesmerizing watching them fall. Their story feels sweeter, a bit more heavy, than the others in the book, and I really appreciated that dynamic here- we still have plenty of laughs, but this one hit me in the heart a bit more.

Not to mention- the found family. All of the amazing Toronto Terror characters truly are the best group of fun, support, and accountability. They lift each other up and show up for each other and I just adored this whole quirky and charming cast. 

The audio was so good- Stephen Dexter and Stella Bloom brought a lot of heart and charisma to the performances, and I just gobbled the ALC right up.  The audios for this series have all been fantastic- I can’t recommend them enough.

What To Expect

-One Night Stand

-Professional Hockey

-Coach x Player

-Age Gap (11 years)

-Second Chance

-Forbidden

-Secret Romance

-Longing and Pining

-Single Parents (single dad + heroine raising his siblings)