This is my favorite troupe and it was done so well! Sawyer Bennett doesn't gloss over the hard parts of reunions in this novel. Marek has found out a huge secret and it's completely turned his life upside down and he shows the the ups and downs of it. Trying to get to know. a daughter he didn't know he had, nor isn't sure if he wanted, is a bumpy journey and as time shows reveals the best of fatherhood, Marek is forced to come to terms with some hard truths.
Gracen thought she was doing what was best for Marek and her daughters life but now that Marek is involved, she's regretting that decision. Gracen does everything she can to make this transition smooth but old hurts soon rise to the surface. Bennett does a great job in writing a story that embraces life and romance. It's not always sunshine and building a relationship is work. Gracen and Marek delve into a brand new world that may bind them together finally after years of being part.

I fell in love with this cover and then I fell in love with Marek 😍

Sawyer Bennett once again delivers a fun and hot sport romance. Marek is book 11 in her Cold Fury Hockey series and can be read as a stand-alone, but I think for overall experience it’s better to be read as part of the series.
Marek Fabritis gets the ultimate surprise. He has a kid, a 3 year old little girl that her ex kept a secret. His world turns upside down as he tries to deal with the news.
Gracen Moore did what she thought was best after she was left broken hearted by Marek. But it’s time to face the music…

“Something inside of me cracks. Yes, I still love this man, and because he’s Lilly’s father, I always will. But I’m done.”

There is so much to this story. It’s complicated and filled with anguish as they try to figure out what’s the best way to move forward. They both made mistakes and the consequences are being paid. At times I wanted smack these two in the head, but I get it, sometimes when you are hurt it’s hard to see the whole picture.
There is resentment, anger and regrets. Yet their chemistry is undeniable. But can they work through their issues for their daughter’s sake and find their way back to each other?
I loved Lilly, she was truly the little star of this story. I loved seeing the gang as they popped up throughout the book.

Once again the Cold Fury Team scores. Marek has a three year old daughter with Gracen. He left Gracen when he made it to the NHL. Gracen let him go. Both of them were wrong, but Gracen feels more guilty than Marek. Gracen has more secrets and a heavy burden but she is only going to put up with so much of Marek' s attitude. The story is well written. I could feel the confusion Marek felt as well as the guilt Gracen was carrying. I was glad though when she finally stood up to him.

I was looking forward to seeing how Marek and Gracen's story worked out after the very dramatic set up in previous book, and by the end of the story, Marek had won me over.

Marek had walked away from Gracen five years ago, and Gracen had kept his child a secret from him for almost four years. So, both were nursing some wounds, and were therefore, somewhat hostile towards each other. Underneath it all, though, they were each other's first and only loves. Those feelings may have been buried, but they were still there, and being thrust back together was difficult and confusing. Gracen was struggling with the guilt of what she did and her runaway bride antics, while Marek was dealing with his resentment for the time he missed, but as they begin connecting again, both start to see things a little differently.

Second chance romances are among my favorites, and I really enjoyed the way Bennett blended Marek and Gracen's past into this story. They had a passionate past, but they were young. Each has grown and changed since then, and it was something I am glad she explored.

I grew to love Reed so much in his book, and was therefore overjoyed to see him have a large role in this book. I also think I spied the set up for the next (a future?) book, and I suspect it will venture into fun territory. As always, Bennett caught us up with our past Cold Fury faves, and it was fun to hear about all the impending changes in their lives.

Overall: A great second chance romance, that began angsty, but eventually melted my heart. Bring on book 12!

Sawyer Bennett has done it yet again!!! I became a total Sawyer Bennett fan when I was introduced to the Cold Fury series when I had the opportunity to read Zack the 3rd book in the series via NetGalley. I have read EACH AND EVERY that Ms. Bennett has written since.
OH! MY! GOSH!!! MAREK!!! I freaking love him. My heart freaking broke for him when he found out about his daughter, she is a total sweetie in this book, and in my opinion sort of steals the heart as well. I fully understand why Gracen let Marek go. She wanted Marek to have his dream, but I still wanted to smack her.
I loved watching Marek and Gracen fall back in love and start to remember why they loved each other in the first place. I loved reading about Marek learning how to be a “dad”. I just wanted to squeeze the stuffing out of all three of them. The first time Lilly…. Stop no spoilers. SIGH!!!
Thank you, Sawyer Bennett for sharing your phenomenal gift of writing with your readers. You give us hours and hours of reading enjoyment every time you release a book.
I was gifted with a copy of this phenomenal book for my reading enjoyment and I have to say, I could not put it down when I was reading it over Easter. I just forgot to write a review. Now, I am correcting that mistake.
Kudos Ms. Bennett on a SPECTACULAR BOOK!!!
Thank you for reading my review. COLD FURY RULE!!!!!

I can’t believe this will be the last book in the Cold Fury series. It is a series that I have really adored reading. I have to say while Marek was probably not my favorite of the series it still was a good addition to the series. Both characters were hard to like. Marek for being a spoiled, selfish jerk and leaving his supposed love of his life behind so he could pursue his hockey career. Then Gracen for being such a doormat! Everyone seemed to walk all over her, I just wanted to grab her and say grow a pair and speak up for yourself. I felt a lack of emotional chemistry between these two until about more than half way through the book. I loved how Reed was kind of like Marek’s concence and made him see how he was being a jerk to Gracen and he needs to focus on being a dad to Lilly. I loved the visit from the whole hockey team, it was good to see how everyone was doing in their lives. I still recommend the book and the whole series.

I've been a huge fan of Sawyer Bennett and her Cold Fury Hockey series since it first came out with Alex, but unfortunately I struggled to connect with this latest installment in the series. Normally, I love second chance romances – it's my go-to trope – but I just couldn't stand the hero, Marek. He felt too immature and kept blaming all his problems on everyone, especially the heroine, except himself. Sadly, I think the series has run its course for me, and I probably won't be continuing with it.

Ever since we met Marek in Reed’s story, I've been dying to get all the details on this man. Now that I have them, I can tell you I'M IN LOVE!

But I can also tell you it didn't start out this way. Marek has a lot of hurt and anger to work through in this book, and there will be times where you don't like him very much. But be patient with him. Underneath is an amazing guy that will melt you in all ways.

The same can be said for Gracen. Her choices made it hard for me to like her in the beginning. But just like Marek, you'll love her by the end.

I definitely enjoyed the journeys of the characters in this book. There were a ton of feels in this story and chapter by chapter I fell in love with them. This book lacks for nothing- plenty of feels, heat, passion, anger, and love to binge on. Marek might just be one of my new favorite Cold Fury hockey players.

5 Realizing There’s More to Life than Hockey Stars!!!

I’m not sure how she does it, but this series just keeps getting better and better with each book. I keep saying the last book was my favorite and I’m not sure what would replace it….but I can tell you now that Marek is hands-down my favorite of this series!

I’m a huge fan of this kind of trope and watching a man who didn’t realize there could be more in his life than what he’s already passionate about; in this case Marek’s life revolves around Cold Fury hockey and nothing or no one is going to stop him from living his dream….until he finds out about Lilly! And oh my heart when he realizes how much he missed of her life because of Gracen…I totally understood his anger. But then they see each other again and talk about sky rocketing fireworks!! Their passion has not diminished over the last three years!!

Watching the progression of how Marek becomes a “daddy” was the sweetest thing ever. And while he and Gracie definitely had a lot of terse moments, the passion they generated when they were talking with their bodies instead of their lips was just hot as anything I’ve ever read!!

This book has so many things to love about it…finding the love of your life, again; becoming the best daddy around, standing up for the woman you love and having her in return finally stand up for what her heart wants and not what her head is telling her to do…or for that matter having someone else tell her what to do! Ms. Bennett brought me into this story with the grace and ease of her writing while giving us a passionate love story that will stick with me for a long time to come!

I’ve been on the edge of my seat for this book since I read Reed. Marek is one hot hockey player, with a hot temper on and off the ice. This book was absolutely amazing. The emotions and rollercoaster ride to finding your first love stab you in the chest. Throw in a few surprises and crash a wedding and you’ve got the perfect combination.

The whole Cold Fury season are books that I read as one sitters… once you start, you do not stop until ‘The End’. And they are all 5 stars for sure. What’s next, Sawyer Bennett? I’m patiently waiting.

Anger, turmoil and the pull of a once in a lifetime love is what keeps Marek going in the next book in the Cold Fury Hockey series! The beginning felt a little stunted because we didn't get to experience the drama that had happened first hand and were trying to play catch up in snippets of memories. The story line was quick to grab out attention though, and watching Marek try to connect with this his little look-alike daughter was adorably sweet. The author did a great job of portraying emotions on both sides of their betrayals. I really enjoyed the overall story!

When professional hockey player Marek Fabritis finds out that his childhood sweetheart was pregnant with his baby when he left and never told him, he's beyond angry! He's missed more than three years of his daughter Lilly's life. He can never get that time back, so how can he ever forgive Gracie?

Gracen Moore can't believe Marek made such a huge scene at what was supposed to be her wedding and used scare tactics to drag her and Lilly home with him to North Carolina! Yes, she realizes she made a huge mistake, but he dumped her just so he could live a wild and free lifestyle in the NHL, so what was she supposed to think? Seeing how angry and hurt he is over missing out on so much has her crumbling under the guilt. She never stopped loving him, no matter how much he let her down ... and even though the attraction and desire is still right there between then, can Marek ever forgive her enough to want any type of relationship with her?

Sawyer Bennett’s Cold Fury Hockey series is one of my absolute favorites, and the fact that it’s still going strong after 11 books speaks to Bennett’s ability to write great sports romance stories that entertain readers and introduce them to a bevy of hot alpha males whose athletic prowess matches their dirty talking and swoon worthy personalities.

At the end of Reed’s book, readers were offered insight into Marek Fabritis’ past and the girl he left in order to pursue a professional hockey career, but one anonymous email brings his past into his present and as Marek crashes Gracen’s wedding, he learns a secret that irrevocably changes his life, proving that his love for hockey just might come in second place, which is not something he would have ever thought possible.

I get why Gracen Moore made the decision she did after she let Marek go so that he could fight for his dream, but I definitely do not condone her keeping Marek’s daughter from him or the way she handles everything when Marek re-enters her life and learns the truth about his daughter, Lilly. I hate to say it but Gracen frustrated and annoyed me because I just couldn’t figure out why she did the things she did and why she couldn’t see things from Marek’s perspective or at least learn to communicate with him in a mature way.

I have to admit that even after reading Marek, I’m not completely sure how I feel about Marek or Gracen. Both of them were extremely immature and had unrealistic expectations when it came to their relationship with each other and their daughter. Their inability to address all of the issues between them and simply remain singularly focused on the fact that Gracen kept Marek’s daughter from him for the first three years of Lilly’s life was counterproductive and it was a huge obstacle for them to get through if they truly wanted a second chance with the true love of their life.

I loved watching Marek with Lilly. She ‘humanizes’ Marek for lack of a better word and she makes him want to be a better man even if it takes a while for that concept to sink in. I would have liked to understand Marek’s actions a bit more because I feel like who he was back when he was with Gracen and who he became without her only presented him as young and wanting freedom that he wouldn’t have if he didn’t break things off with Gracen.

Even though I had some issues with this installment of Bennett’s Cold Fury Hockey series, I’m still a huge fan of the characters and the story lines that she created, and I will be waiting impatiently more of her hockey sports romances!

3.5/4 Poison Apples

Marek by Sawyer Bennett is part of the Cold Fury Hockey series. We met Marek Fabritis in the previous book, Reed, and learned about Gracen Moore, the girlfriend he left years before in order to pursue his hockey career unhindered and the daughter he never knew about, Lily. Threatening and dragging Gracen away from the altar before she got married, Marek his furious about missing out on the child he never knew he had, but also guilty from leaving Gracen behind. He is not the same person he was four years ago and neither is Gracen. There is a lot of strife and anger between them, but the connection they have runs deep. Neither pulls any punches but they have to move forward for the benefit of their child.

I liked Marek better in this novel than in Reed and felt that the progression that the characters go through to work out their issues, a lot of steps forward followed by steps back, felt realistic and worked with these characters. The support structure that Reed and Josie, from Reed, represented added depth to the story and helped develop the characters. Ms. Bennett creates characters who you can really feel for with a cast that just adds to the story.

Overall I enjoyed Marek by Sawyer Bennett and recommend this next Cold Fury Hockey book. Gracen and Marek are complex, dynamic and passionate characters who lost each other but need each other to be whole. A very good addition.

(I voluntarily reviewed an advance review copy of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)

I was really looking forward to see how things turned out after Marek reclaimed his lost love by disrupting her wedding. When he finds out he has a three year old daughter, it puts everything into a new frame.
It was hard liking Marek during the first part of the book because he was so angry and targeted Gracen with his anger. When she finally stands up to him despite her own guilt about depriving him of those years with their daughter, he became a bit more of a hero not a zero.

Gracen and Marek both have residual hurt feelings inside them about how they parted four years before and what was the result of their relationship. As each lets go of their own hurt and really listens to how the other partner felt, the story gets much more romantic. I loved Marek learning to be a Dad. I enjoyed Gracen learning to trust again and let others show her support. Most of all, I loved seeing them work their way back to each other and find a family with their daughter Lilly.

This has been such a good series to read with hot hockey hunks being tamed by their women. Lots of passion, lots of hockey action, and a good deal of misunderstanding and resolution has made for a series that keeps me highly anticipating each new book to come.

If you read Reed's book you know at the end that Marek finds out he has a 3 year old daughter. He is so infuriated that he brings his daughter, Lilly and her mom, Gracen back to live with him. While he wants to do right by Lilly he is so mad at Gracen for keeping Lilly away from him for so long he isn't really the nicest to her and makes her feel worse than she does. But underneath the anger he loves Gracen, he has never loved another like her. Gracen has never stopped loving Marek but he has been so hurtful in so many ways to her, while she knows what she did was wrong, she hopes he can forgive her some day. Lilly is so adorable she makes this book even better and watching Marek learn to be a dad is cute; but can he finally forgive Gracen and make a life for her and his daughter?

Another great book by Sawyer! Can't wait for more

COLD FURY Book 11! These books, I have loved every one of them. Reading each one you get a little more of the story of this hockey team and the men they are off the ice. This one is a welcome addition.

Marek Fabritis.... really enjoys being single, and spends a lot of his time on the road with his team. Suddenly his life is turned upside down when he finds out his ex-girlfriend is about to marry someone else... but what we finds out about her secret when he heads back to stop the wedding, his world is not what he thought it was..... Lilly, a three year old little girls who happens to be his daughter. His ex-girlfriend, Gracen Moore kept her a secret, and he's hurt. He is not ready to be a dad, but wants to get to know Lilly. He has a baby, no a toddler he barely knows, and so much time to make up for....

Gracen Moore has loved Marek since she wasps baby, well fifteen..... He was her boyfriend and best friend and then he broke her heart when he dumped her and left for the NHL four years ago. Once he was drafted into the NHL, he never looked back. the message he sent her was that his career was more important than a relationship. When she found out she was pregnant, to protect herself and her baby from possible rejection she never told Marek about the pregnancy or Lilly. She raised her alone and finished college, got her degree in nursing, and was about to get marry when Marek crashes her wedding & goes all alpha male on her and disrupts her life yet once again.... seems to be a pattern...

Will they be able to find love again through all the hurt?

This wasn't my favorite book in the series but I did enjoy it. The entire series is amazing so I can't wait to see what else is to come! 3.5/5

Anger haunts this second chance…

Ever since Marek and Gracen’s relationship popped up earlier in this series I have been eagerly waiting the telling of their story. Nothing like crashing a wedding to get my attention!

“I might be pissed at her a good chunk of the time, but I’m still attracted to her 100 percent of the time.”

This author knows how to spin an emotional tale and just because this story is the eleventh in this series, does not mean the gut punches are any lighter. Marek was devastated to find out he had a little girl that was already three years old. So many years and memories missed. I was heartbroken for him and understanding why he was so angry. At the same time there are always two sides to the story. Gracen made decisions that were her truth and she took responsibility for her actions. I loved how she acknowledged her decisions and the impact of them. How she stood up to Marek when he lashed out.

There comes a point though when you have to move forward and their story is all about that. Fighting, talking, getting to a place where they can be parents to a daughter they both love. It was one step forward, two steps back as they worked on joint parenting and resolving the many issues that stood between them…

Cold Fury is all about hockey, family and love as Marek, Gracen and Lilly added more to the mix. An emotional story to savour from cover to cover.

Heart fluttered:
“No, it’s my job. You and Lilly are my life.”

I loved Marek and Gracen’s story. I love a great second chance romance. The pain from the old wounds of the past being ripped open again. The fear of being hurt again. The confrontation and truths. The process of learning to heal and forgive. The growth and love that forms that is stronger and more mature – the kind that lasts a lifetime. Marek has at all. I was so wrapped up in their story, once I started the book I couldn’t put it down until the very last page.

I loved the way Marek right away wanted to be a part of Lilly’s life. The way he wanted to be her everything, even when he had no clue how to do it. I really fell for Marek for his ways with Lilly and all he wanted for her and wanted to be for her.

I was a little blasé about the whole ex story, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep me from thoroughly enjoying this book and highly recommending it. Heck, highly recommending the entire series!

Sawyer Bennett hockey books are a no brainer for me! They are always always a great read. And the cover and title on this one! Love!!
I am a sucker for a couple different types of books, hockey romance and second chance books. This release combines them both which to me is heaven in book form.
If you haven’t tried any of this author’s books then now is the time to get hooked!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.
* but I also have purchased the book