3.5 rounded to 4 stars
Slap Shot is part of the Aces Hockey Novel series, and since I haven’t read any of the other books and didn’t feel lost or that I was missing any pertinent information, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone.
Max has been struggling with grief since the loss of his wife. He never expected to feel the way he does after meeting Kendra. Their chemistry is off the charts and but neither wants a relationship. Plus, their lives are in two different cities. What starts as one night, ends up with two, an unexpected weekend, then friends with benefits, etc. But as more time passes, a true friendship and feelings come into play. Will they be able to deny what is building between them? Will Max be able to move forward with his life and learn to live again - in life, in hockey, and in love?
I thought Kelly Jamieson did a very good job with Max’s grief and emotions. I really loved that even though Kendra has a psychology background, she didn’t try to “fix” him or push him to “move on with his life”. This was emotional at times, funny at others, and a whole lot of steamy.
**I requested and received an advanced copy, provided by NetGalley and the publisher, and I am voluntarily providing an honest review**

Storyline: 5
Angst: 4
Tissue: 0
Value: 5
Panty Scorching: 5
Over All Rating: 4.5 Stars
Kindle eArc provided by Netgalley

Max Hall has been away from hockey for over a year due to his wife’s death from a rare form of cancer. All he wants to do is concentrate on hockey but his libido is waking up after a fifteen month sleep. When he meets Army’s cousin Kendra at a wedding he gets the feeling they are on the same page. Both have decided since they live in separate cities that a casual sexual hookup will work out for both of them. Everything seems to be perfect. Until Kendra starts being a little too sweet. And tries to take care of him when he gets down. Perhaps they won’t be able to be quite as casual as Max wants them to be and it’s time to put an end to this arrangement.

“I felt things…I felt desire. I felt desired. I felt pleasure…waves and waves of hot, carnal pleasure. I haven’t felt those things for so long and it reminds me that while my heart and soul may feel cold and dead, my body is still very much alive.”

Love my Aces Hockey team! Max Hall has been on leave to recover from his wife’s death and needs to fight his way back onto the team. He wants to concentrate on hockey and protect his heart from ever getting broken again. Kendra is a fixer and typically picks the wrong guys. I love the fun, flirty interaction between the two. Both are fighters for the goals they have in life and have a strong sense of self. That’s what made their characters so likeable. Both are such good people even when they act in a way that drives you crazy…it’s understandable. It’s nice to read about second chance love and I felt low angst with this story.

Honestly, I have pretty much fallen in love with every single guy on this team. When each one finally finds his match, it’s so much fun to see them fall. Each story makes you curious how each guy will settle down and who will be able to capture their heart.

Sooo... Kelly Jamieson did it again. I don't know what she does but every time I read one of her books it becomes my favorites and that happened with Slap Shot. If you didn't know, in the past year I read both Top Shelf and Back Check from the Ace Hockey series and I loved both of those books. However, since I started this series I've wanted a book about Hallsy (aka Max) and I finally got it and couldn't be happier because it was everything I needed.

First of all, let's talk about characters starting with Max. I love him. He's a sweet cinnamon roll that deserves much more in his life and not the sh*tty things that happened to him. He's such a great person and really strong but also shows some vulnerability due to what happened to his wife. He messed up sometimes but it was something that you could see where if was coming from and why he was doing it, Then we have Kendra and she's a breath of fresh air. I loved her and how she helped with Max issues. Their chemistry was also the best. While the "relationship" started almost in the beginning of the book it still wasn't one of those instalove stories. They ended up getting to know each other pretty well and develop a connection even before they had the chance to understand what was happening between them. 

Unlike the previous books in this series Slap Shot was told only from Max's POV and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes you read books with only a POV and feel like there's something missing but that wasn't the case with this one, especially because most of the times it was still easy to understand what was going through Kendra's head. I also loved the writing but that was expected since it's not my first Kelly Jamieson's book.  Once again, I really need to read the first two books in this series soon (and also the novella) because I’m 100% sure those will be awesome too and because I already love all the characters from those books.

Overall, this was an amazing book. If you’re looking for a hockey romance you should definitely give this one (and the series) a try. If you read it will get not only amazing romances but also amazing characters that you'll end up loving.

Good plot that grabbed my attention from the very first page and the chemistry between Kendra and Max kept me totally hooked until the turn of the very last page!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

I’m so happy to get a story for Max! My heart bled for him in previous books.

With everything we’ve seen of Max in the former stories, and how he was handling the tragedy of losing his wife, I thought this would be a more emotional story. You do get all the emotions, I just didn’t feel like they hit as hard as I expected they would. As you read scenes of Max in the past books of this series, all you wanted is for Max to smile again. You could feel his pain. Kelly Jamieson did a great job of showing us Max’s constant struggles and how hard it was for him to both let go and live again.

I love the character Kelly Jamieson gives us with Kendra. She is perfect for Max, so kind, unselfish, and loving. She has a heart of gold and loves with her all heart and is so understanding of everything Max has gone through and continues to struggle with.

Kendra also has some struggles of her own. I felt for her too, though. After a while, I had hoped she’d just back off a little. It was obvious Max had feelings for her, and the constant reminder, this is just sex, got tiring. I was glad Max finally got his head straight. It’s beautiful to watch her and Max come together and help each other heal.

This is a story about loss and love, grieving and picking up the pieces, and living and loving again.

It’s always great to see all the other characters we’ve grown to love in this series. I can’t wait to see whose story will be next.

I have been waiting for Max’s story ever since he lost his young wife to cancer. And boy was this book worth the wait! We finally got to see what had been going on in Max’s head since his wife’s passing. As he attends a teammate’s wedding, what he seems to want the most is one night with a beautiful woman. Kendra is a bridesmaid in the wedding and didn’t see Max coming. He wants just physical and she is ok with that, they live in two different cities. But when her feelings start to deepen will Max be willing to lay his past to rest and see he could have a future?
Like all of this author’s books, this one has everything you want in a great book!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

4.5 Stars

“Pain is inevitable . . . suffering is optional.” Dalai Lama as quoted by Max and Kendra

If you have read other books in Aces Hockey series, you will likely remember Max. He took a leave from the team when his wife Ariana was diagnosed with cancer and subsequently passed away. He has struggled since her death, but now 16 months later he is trying to pick up the pieces if his life and find a way to move forward again. He is focused on getting back into fighting form before training camp and he is taking the first steps toward reintegration in the lives of his teammates by attending the wedding of his captain Marc and his fiancee Lovey.

Kendra is Lovey's cousin and also one of her bridesmaids who is visiting from N.Y. She is beautiful, fun, down to earth and definitely knows what she wants. After 16 months of celibacy, Max's libido is trying to override his head and his heart which are both telling him that a one-night stand would be a betrayal of his marriage vows. A little more liquid courage than he intended steps in to make the decision for him much to his embarrassment, but her humor and caring spirit the next morning ease his mind and conscience and they end up having a great time.

What starts out as one time turns into an agreement to try out a friends with benefits arrangement instead. Max makes it clear he is focused on hockey and only hockey, and she lives halfway across the country anyway so it all should go according to plan, right? *snickers*

The more they talk, the more they end up liking each other and forming a real friendship. They also fall into habits like texting, Skyping and talking almost every day, and even planning visits on weekends until it starts to look a whole lot like the relationship they both profess not to want. Max needs to focus on his grueling training schedule and Kendra is trying to build a successful business (which I just loved BTW!) so they can both use a little stress relief... and they both need to eat... and shower... so what's the big deal if they do it together, right?

The chemistry between these 2 characters was evident from the start, and they clearly fit together well in all aspects of their lives. But Max's struggle to deal with his grief and the feelings of guilt as he considered that he might be developing real feelings for Kendra was absolutely real too. He felt that loving anyone else would be a betrayal of Ariana's memory and he didn't want to ever open himself up to that kind of pain again. His confusion became practically a living entity, and when he suffers a potential setback to getting back on the ice, everything boils to the surface.

I thought the author did a great job showcasing Max's emotional turmoil even as she infused heat and humor into their story too. The inclusion of Ariana's family was a nice touch as was the appearance of a few familiar faces from the Bayard hockey series. If you haven't started the Aces series yet, I definitely recommend it and Slap Shot can be read as a standalone if you'd like to start here.

If you have read the series up to this point you will have met Max. We watched him go through the loss of his wife to Cancer. Hallsy has been pretty low key since then. He stopped playing to be with her and hasn't made it back to the ice as of yet. But he has a new determination to get in shape and make the team again. The first step in moving forward.

Meeting Kendra at Mark & Lovey's wedding. She is the first woman who has caught his attention other than his wife. Watching her from a distance and his body stiring to life again. He misses his wife and feels he will never love another woman but he wants to try.

Kendra is attracted to the hot hockey dude. After spending some of the evening dance and getting to know Max she is not ready for their evening to be over. Inviting him back to her room. The chemistry is certainly there but she can feel Max holding back.

This is an emotional book as Max works his way through the final stages of grief and back to living. Kendra by his side and trying to stick to their sex only no strings agreement. This is a fun fast read with dirty long distance texting and some hot intimate moments.

Will Max and Kendra keep with the agreement or will they find an HEA in each other.

Loving the Aces Hockey and excited to see who we get next.

*** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ***

Excellent contemporary sports/hockey romance. Max has been through a lot and suffered a tremendous loss. After over a year he realizes he has to make changes. At a wedding for one of his teammates he meets the cousin of one of them, Kendra. She's beautiful and confident and only in town for a few days. She and her best friend started a unique company. Max and Kendra but it off for a one night stand but keep running into one another. After being out of hockey for over a year Max is struggling to get back in shape and Kendra is lovely. I received a complementary copy of this book and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Jamieson.

Steamy, heartfelt, and deliciously sexy!

Slap Shot, the fifth book in the Aces Hockey series, is a sporty, contemporary romance featuring Max a tough, honest, hockey player who is struggling to come to grips with not only the grief he continues to feel over the loss of his wife but the guilt associated with potentially moving on.

The writing is clear and emotive. The characters are genuine, believable and charming. And the plot is an impassioned tale filled with sizzling tension, scorching chemistry, poignant moments, hilarious innuendoes, flirty banter, and a swoon-worthy ending.

What more can I say, when it comes to writing entertaining, enjoyable novels about hunky hotshots who fall hard Jamieson is one of the best and Slap Shot with its heart, humour, heat, and hockey is no exception.

Max was living the dream until his world car crashing down around him. Max gave up playing hockey to care for his wife who eventually succumbed to cancer. Ms. Jamieson captures so many emotions in this book. Love, loss, passion, fear, and laughter. Max and Kendra meet at a wedding and immediately attracted to each other. Max and Kendra began a long distance no strings relationship. But even with the best laid plans it’s hard to keep love and sex mutually exclusive. As feelings grow, Max becomes overwhelmed with loyalty to his deceased wife and becoming attached to Kendra. This book was well written and was packed full of emotions and laughter. Their story made me laugh and cry! Definitely one of the best hockey series!

This was a really beautiful story. I loved how real life it felt to me. The characters were relatable and really went through some amazing struggles. Your heart can't help but break for Max. You're almost convinced that he couldn't ever love someone after losing his wife but then Kendra just becomes perfect for him. I do wish we got a little bit more from her perspective but that's my only complaint with this book. Kendra slowly creeps into Max's heart and he doesn't realize it until it's almost too late. What I really liked is that we got a substantial amount of story after the fall out and Kendra didn't just swoon after Max. She had things to figure out too and that just really added to the beauty and complexity of this story. I ended up loving it from beginning to end and it gave me all the feels.

An excellent addition to the Aces Hockey series. This is Max Hall's story and it's emotional, sexy, and full of hope. Max stepped away from the game and the team when his wife became ill. She passed away over a year ago and now his focus is earning his spot on the team back. Why his libido picks now to come back to life is beyond him butt one look at Kendra Armstrong and he's at full mast. Guilt weighs heavily on him but he knows he needs to move forward. Putting it all out there for Kendra was hard but she knows the score and agrees to a sex only relationship. Everything is going great until it wasn't.

Great story and one I think you'll enjoy. I highly recommend it.

After losing his wife and taking time away from playing hockey Max Hall is ready to get his life back on track. And for Max that means getting back to the NHL. Nothing else matters, and he's not letting anything get in the way, especially love. When he meets Kendra he is immediately attracted to her, and they begin a friends with benefits relationship that suits both of them perfectly - until it doesn't.

I loved the fact that the entire story is told in male point of view. Max's thoughts seemed all over the place at times, and it suited him perfectly. His inner struggles were nailed perfectly, and he grew so much throughout the book. I loved the relationship between Max & Kendra, and her job brought the perfect amount of humor to the story!

This was my first book by Kelly Jamieson and I really enjoyed it. I haven't read the other books in the series, but I didn't feel like I was missing part of the story. That being said, I cant wait to go back and read the earlier books!

Sizzling! Loved this follow up story on Max Hall by Kelly Jamieson. This was a brilliantly written story about loss and healing, that pulls you in, and makes your heart take flight as Max learns to open his heart and let love in again. I laughed, I cried and rooted for Max and Kendra.
Max lost the love of his life to a rare form of cancer 15 months ago. Struggling to get through the darkness, he concentrates on getting his job back as a Professional Hockey player. As he starts an intensive training program to get himself in shape and prove himself at training camp, for the Chicago Aces’, he finds himself attracted to a bridesmaid at one of his teammates wedding. With thoughts of only a one night fling, Max struggles with the thought of not being true to his dead wife. But the sexual chemistry between them is intensely hot and soon they commit to a long distance sex only, no strings, relationship, when Max is very upfront with his inability to commit to anything more.
Watching Max and Kendra come together was fantastic. Max definitely has some issues and even though I wanted to throttle him at times I loved watching him start to live again and change throughout the story. He made me swoon! He was so sweet, sexy and tender and there was a lot of underlying emotions happening. I really loved how supportive and positive Kendra was, they were just really good for one another. But as soon as Max realizes that Kendra is falling for him, he stops their affair. Breaking Kendra’s spirit and heart. Will Max realize that he was falling also? Will Max make it back on the team? You will have to read to find out! Fantastic mix of everything I adore, humor, heart and heat. Loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

After the death of his wife, professional hockey player, Max, is trying to pull himself out of depression and get back his hockey career. He thinks throwing himself into training for the upcoming season equates to getting his life back. He doesn’t realize how much he’s stuck in the pain and grief of his past until he meets Kendra, who effortlessly brings life and color back into his life. Although they live in separate cities, they manage to find time to be together, and although they’ve agreed that it’s simply a physical relationship, things quickly grow into more. But with Max lost in guilt and feeling like caring for Kendra is betraying his wife’s memory, there are some major challenges in store for these two.

Kendra is the character who won my heart the most in the advance copy I read of this story. She’s a wonderful, happy, upbeat personality and is so incredibly strong. She had her own challenges growing up and has made herself into a successful business woman who is confident in her abilities. Max was great with his drive, determination and over all sexiness, and anyone with a heart will feel for his loss and his journey back to living. Together, they’re terrific, and their story takes the reader on a thrilling ride full of humor, frustration, sensuality, pain, joy and satisfaction that makes this book a 1-Click must read.

Kelly Jamieson has become one of my favourite romance writers. And her Aces Hockey series is absolutely great. Hot, hulking hockey players who are just so hot you wonder how they don't melt the ice with their mere presence. Ever since the beginning of the series I have been anxiously waiting to read Max Hall's story. After the diagnosis of his wife, Max spent months by her side trying to battle cancer along with her. Unfortunately Ariana loses the battle and Max is left wondering what to do with the rest of his life. He has no will to play hockey and takes a long leave of absence. It has been 17 months since Max has played hockey and he is finally ready to return to the land of the living. Now all he needs to do is get back in shape and prove to the world and to himself that he is ready to get back into the game. What he isn't ready for is a relationship and to be vulnerable to a woman again. All he has to offer a woman is a hot night of physical release, nothing more. But it seems that fate is ready to intervene.

Kendra Armstrong has come to Chicago to attend her cousin Lovey's wedding. What she didn't expect was to find a man that she is not only physically attracted to but a man that desperately needs her help - whether he is ready to admit it or not. She also has no intention of starting anything with someone who has just recently lost his wife in the worst way imaginable, but she can't deny that there is something more between them than just intense physical attraction.

Max may keep telling himself that he wants nothing more from the sexy sex toy designer than a couple of nights of passion, but it seems that they have gradually become more to each other than just bed mates. But is Max ready to let someone into his heart again after having lost the love of his life?

I have to admit that even though the story was nice, I was expecting something more impressive. It just seemed like a run-of-the-mill romance novel. Even the way that Max and Kendra meet isn't very creative. I mean having a one-night-stand with a bridesmaid isn't exactly original. The only thing that seemed exciting was Kendra's job. I felt Max's anguish and his hesitation in wanting to get involved with someone, but I couldn't understand why he kept on denying and denying his feelings when they were literally right in front of him. I was expecting to be overwhelmed with the story of a man who is brought back to life with the love of a woman, unfortunately I wasn't. Even though this is a nice romance, it was lacklustre. Maybe it's because I expect so much more from Kelly Jamieson, but it definitely needed something more.

Holy Hotness Batman! Every time I read one of Kelly's books, I have loved it, and Slap Shot was no different. The sexy times were so steamy (and plentiful) that I had to fan myself more than a few times. Max and Kendra did not lack in the chemistry department.
Two adults who decide to keep things casual and hook up when they see each other should be easy to accomplish. Right? Not so much.
As Max and Kendra spend more time together, they both feel comfortable and tell the other things that they haven't discussed with anyone else. Max has told her from the beginning that he can't love her and his reasons why are heart-wrenching. She says she understands and when she utter the three words that he doesn't want to hear her say, he ends things with her for good.
They had other times when they went without talking, so I hoped that there was a way for him to see the light and realize that he did in fact love her too, but he let her leave. Even when he dumped her, she was still nice and let him know that she just wanted him to be happy. Could he open his eyes and realize that what they had wasn't casual? Would he realize that he did love her? Would it be too late if he did realize that he loved her? I am not sure I could move past someone that I loved dumping me and telling me he didn't want to see me again. If he did go to her and beg her forgiveness and love, would she be able to accept it and move on or would she let him go for good?
The emotions ran deep in this book. I understood his feelings of confusion, regret, and betrayal. I also understood her feelings and why she didn't fight harder when he broke up with her. Can two battered souls find love and a way to make a relationship work, especially when they live apart from each other? Slap Shot will give you all of the feels that a book should give you. I received an ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Great hockey romance! Max recently lost his wife and is still grieving and dealing with the heartbreak of her abscence. He has one goal and one goal only... to remake the Chicago Aces hockey team. He is not looking to ever fall in love again because he doesn't ever want to feel the way he did when his wife died. However, he is open to meaningless sex to curb his desires. Great plan until Kendra feels more.

I would definitely recommend this book to my hockey romance loving friends.

Slap Shot was an enjoyable addition to the Chicago Aces series and I liked that it was told completely from Max's point of view. And considering that Max lost his wife to cancer I was expecting Slap Shot to be full of emotion. But honestly it wasn't, in fact it was pretty light on the angst. Yet still full of great characters, sweet and hot moments. As well as some lighthearted ones. Which made it really easy to read and I did really like both Max and Kendra. And thought they had great chemistry too. Which is why I would happily recommend this story to others. Even if you've not read any of the previous books. As this can easily be read as a standalone.