I got this as a free review copy and enjoyed so much that I’ve been binge-reading other books by the writing duo Alicia Hunter Pace all weekend. At first it seemed like your typical hockey star sports romance, but it was a bit different. The hero, Bryant Taylor is indeed a top layer for the fictional team the Nashville Sound. But he has a secret from his young days that he doesn’t want to share with anyone. He was married at age 19 to his high school sweetheart and she died suddenly while pregnant. Now his family back in Minnesota won’t let him forget her and constantly want to commemorate his passing. He just wants to move on his life. And his iterest falls on his buddy’s little sister, Gabriella, a pastry chef in a nearby town.

Gabriella had vowed never to date a hockey player, particularly one on her brother’s team. She was abused as a child by her father, a minor league hockey player. But, of course, she can’t fight her attraction to Bryant who turns out to be a really nice guy with a fun sense of humor. There aren’t many surprises in their romance, but I found myself liking both characters so much that I couldn’t put the book down.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bryant Taylor is a star hockey player with a tragic past. His young, pregnant wife died alone while he was on an away trip with his team. He feels guilty because he did't plan on being married had to because of the pregnancy. Gabriella Charbonnet is a sister of Bryant's teammate and best friend. She also has a tragic past which included child abuse. I had a difficult time with their relationship. It felt overly dramatic and the way the two of them whined (albeit in their own head)...I wanted to shake the two of them. Neither thought to actually speak about their issues to the appropriate parties I just did not enjoy reading a long repeat of them feeling sorry for themselves. I could not finish this book. I was given an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bryant is sometimes a very focused man, “go ahead. I’ll catch up. I need to pee.” A lie. What he needed was to watch Gabriella walk away until she was out of sight. After all, you didn’t go to the Louvre and glance at the Mona Lisa as you walked by." I liked this book, I really liked Bryant.