BIG STICK is a friends to lovers, second chance romance. It is sweet, funny and filled with sexual tension. Flynn, an attorney just broke up with her cheating boyfriend and now she needs to find a place to live. She quickly realizes she has no other choice but to move in with her twin brother, a professional hockey player with the Chicago Blackhawks. Myles, their childhood friend and also a professional hockey player with the Blackhawks, lives across the hall from Flynn’s brother. When Flynn sees Myles again, she is surprised she still has strong feeling for him. She tries her best to ignore her feelings but it is hard now that she and Myles are seeing each other so often.

Myles has a lot of baggage and even though he is successful, he doesn’t have a lot of confidence. He doesn’t think he is good enough for Flynn and keeps giving her mixed messages.

Flynn and Myles have ghosts from the past and they have a difficult time getting past them. They care about each other but they are afraid to share their feelings. Flynn needs to open her heart and let herself trust Myles. I have to admit, at times Flynn annoyed me because she is so hard on Myles. He is a good guy and he loves her but she keeps pushing him away.

Big Stick by RC Stephens is an enemies to lovers, sort of second chance, hockey romance. It dabbles in a bit of everything. There wasn't much of the hockey aspect involved thought out, which was fine by me. It's a cute read that is centered around 3 childhood friends. Oli & Flynn who are twins and their best friend Myles.
They all grew up together. More like siblings. Their story is present day... Where Oli & Myles are professional hockey players and remained extremely close. Flynn is now a lawyer, working her way up the ladder. She just went through a bad break up with her jerk boyfriend.... With no where to go she moves into Oli's apartment, which is across the hall from Myles. Just her luck, now she will be forced to see her ex-best friend Myles on daily basis. For most of the book, it's a mystery of why Flynn & Myles are not friends anymore. Although they have both crushing on each other since childhood and almost ended up together in the past... There is a lot of back and forth between them that I found frustrating. They would say one thing and do another. Their reasoning for their estranged relationship was hard a little hard to believe. I also found their dialogue and actions very immature at times for 25 year old adults. However, I did like them. They were so sweet and obviously loved each other. I just wanted them
to get their shit together.
I especially loved the brother/sister bond between Oli & Flynn. They were each other's ride or die!! I wish there would have been flashbacks to their past. I think that would have totally enhanced their story and made me feel more connect to them. I wanted to see their bond and feel it!

In summary, Big Stick is not the usual read you get from RC Stephens... This one is more care free. Less intense. It's quick good read with likeable characters.

A friends to lovers sports romance... Doesn't that just sound divine?

Emotional, fun, sexy and bloody irresistible ... Big Stick is a fun book to read.
It had it's ups and downs but was still an enjoyable read...sadly not a memorable read.

Who’s ready for some hockey? Big Stick by R.C. Stephens is a sports romance, enemies to lovers story with a heroine who is not a puck bunnie. The story was fast paced, and then it hit a bump, stalled for a bit then picked back up again. I always enjoy R.C. Stephens's books, but this is a bit different from what she normally writes.

Myles and Oli have been best friends since the were little. Now they are living the dream playing hockey for the Chicago Blackhawks. Myles didn’t have a great family and spent much of his time growing at Oli's house with his twin sister, Flynn. There’s not a childhood memory that doesn’t have the three of them in it. Obviously, Myles and Flynn have crushed on each other in the past.  It is possible that these two can get back what they lost seven years ago?

Flynn is an attorney living in Chicago, but she’s finding herself homeless after breaking up with her cheating boyfriend. Big brother Oli comes to the rescue letting her crash with him. Flynn had no idea Myles lived next door. Can Flynn and Myles become friends again or will there past keep them apart?

Big Stick is a heartbreaking story of what was lost and how two friends come back together to maybe become more. I enjoyed these characters a lot. And hopefully we get to see more of Oli's story in the future.

Hat tricks be damned when it comes to the smooth moves of the captain of the Blackhawks hockey team. This story is an incredible friend’s to enemy to lover’s romance that has all the feel-good emotions needed to make the reader swoon. With heartache and tragedy and forgiveness around every corner I just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I loved reading Big Stick and was hoping for the massive soft-hearted giant to shoot and score in the end. I give Big Stick 5 stars and pray that Stephens continues the story and tells us what happens with the supporting characters Sloan and Oli!
Flynn Russell has had to grow up and deal with loss and tragedy. With the help of her twin brother Oli she managed to make it through law school and succeed. Now living in Chicago where Oli plays professional hockey Flynn finds herself relying on her brother once again when she finds her heartbroken and needing a place to live. What Flynn wasn’t expecting was finding that Oli lived next door to Myles, her once best friend and the one guy that stole her heart and never gave it back. It’s been seven years since Myles has seen Flynn, and when he does all the old feelings come rushing back, but he can see by the look in her eyes that she still hasn’t forgiven him. Determined to win her over Myles wants nothing more than to have Flynn back in his life, but how can he do that if she ever finds out about the secret that him and Oli have kept from her for seven years?

Big Stick is the first book I have read by this author. I enjoy sport romances so I figured I would give this one a try.

This book definitely was more of friends to lovers romance with a smidge or sports added into it. We got the story on Myles, Oli and Flynn and how the connection between Myles and Flynn builds.

I want go into details on what happens but there were a few parts that dragged for me, but I kept chugging along because the characters weren't terrible and the writing was decent.

While I wish there was some more surrounding the hockey aspect, this story was good.

Overall, it was good friends to lovers romance and I'd definitely give this author another read.

I really had trouble getting into the book initially and getting caught up in the emotions of the characters. The storyline was good, but it just didn’t stand out in my mind amongst other books in the genre. The blurb was great, but overall the book just fell flat for me.

I thought this was a good read. The writing flowed well for the most part, but I did feel like it lagged a little sometimes. Myles and Flynn were good together, and they had good chemistry. Myles was way too hard on himself, but I can understand given the circumstances of his childhood. I felt like Flynn overreacted to pretty much everything, even though she's touted as being the "strong one". Everything is resolved fairly easily though, and Myles and Flynn get their HEA. I think Oli and Sloane's story will be a good one!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

A spicy read full of family secrets, love, betrayal, and a few twists and turns make this a sports romance you don’t want to miss.

Firstly, i really enjoyed this book.
Seen as almost a modern day soul mate reunion. Myles and Flynn lost touch after her parents died and gone was the blossoming, almost forbidden love, that was set to bloom between the two best friends.
This book at times was rather predictable and yet still really enjoyable due to the complexity of the characters - twin Oli & Flynn and their childhood friend Myles.
While i would love to have seen more complexity written into the story line - all in all it was an enjoyable read and i cant wait to see if Oli gets his own story with Flynn's best female friend !

Big Stick by R.C. Stephens was a great read and so much more than a sports romance! You can never go wrong with a sports romance, however, this was more about friendship, love and second chances with great characters and a story I loved!

This was definitely a slow burn romance with all the feels, but it was also great seeing Myles and Flynn reconnect. You see Oli, Myles and Flynn all grew up together. As best friends with Oli, Flynn’s twin, they spent a lot of time together. Until overnight everything changed and Flynn did not see Myles for seven years. Now Flynn needs somewhere to stay when she discovers her boyfriend cheating. What she never expected was his neighbor to be Myles. Let the sparks fly!

Flynn and Myles have so much chemistry and history that it was fun watching them fall again. Each held things close to their chest, but there is no denying a connection like theirs. Big Stick was a charming and emotional read. Flynn was strong and honest and Myles was caring and sweet. I am looking forward to reading more from this series!

Happy reading!

I loved Myles! He was sweet, thoughtful and so kind to Flynn. I thought she was a little too hard on him considering the circumstances, but she finally redeemed herself. She didn't treat Oli any different when she found out the truth.

Myles is definitely in my top 10 BBF's.

Pitch classique de deux ex meilleurs amis qui se retrouvent et qui ont leur happy end. Ca, ce n’est pas ce qui m’embête. On peut retrouver le même plot dans mille histoires, si elles sont bien écrites, je les lirai toutes avec plaisir.

Là où le bât blesse, c’est dans la manière de raconter de R.C. Stephens. Je l’ai trouvée jeune, limite immature. Ca manquait un chouia de complexité.


This is the classical plot where two ex best friends meet again and have finally their happy end. This isn't what bothers me. I can find the same plot in thousands of stories, if they're well written, I 'll read them gladly.
The problem is in the way the author tells the story. I thought it was quite young, almost immature. It lacked of complexity.

A tragic accident drove a wedge between best friends Flynn and Myles, but now years later they're reunited. However, Flynn isn't ready to forgive Myles, especially when he left at a time when she needed him most. Yet, as they get to know each other again, Flynn realizes she's not going to be able to ignore the intense chemistry she and Myles share for long. Will Myles be able to convince Flynn to take a chance on him or will secrets from the past destroy their friendship for good?

This is the first book I've read by this author and I've got to say that it was a really fascinating and entertaining story where the main characters have quite the history; and the dialogue was a wonderful mix of intense moments and teasing banter that had me loving the hero's determination to win the heroine over by reminding her about how close they once were. Will Flynn and Myles ever be as close as they were in the past? However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine come face-to-face for the first time where this story really gets interesting, as the heroine doesn't make things easy for the hero and I wanted to know how long it would take for Myles to win Flynn over.

With the heroine, she's strong, brave, hard-working, has a close bond with her twin brother and I liked the tight friendship she shares with her best friend who loves to tease Flynn. I also liked how she handled everything when it comes to things being kept from her and I could understand why she reacts the way she does. How could something so important be kept from her? While the hero, he confident, a little cocky, charming, has worked hard for his career, and I liked how determined he was to win the heroine over once he realized he was all in when it came to a relationship between them, even if he doesn't believe he's good enough for her.

Overall, Ms. Stephens has delivered a really good read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was strong; the romance was delightful, as these two find their way back to each other; and the ending had me worried for this couple's happy ever after due to what happens, but had me loving the hero's determination to make things right with Flynn after their relationship goes awry. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up nicely because of the surprise the hero has for the heroine. I would recommend Big Stick by RC Stephens, if you enjoy second chance romances, the friends to lovers trope or books by authors Robin Bielman, Cindi Madsen, Beth Anne Miller and Lexi Lawton.

Big Stick was such a great book... I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. After a tragic accident, Flynn rids herself of Miles for good. Years later the two are thrown at each other, and things are different now. They're both older. Miles wants answers. The push/pull worked for me. This is the first time reading this author and it wont be my last. Big stick was a great friends to lovers story.

R.C. Stephens scores with BIG STICK. As kids, Myles Sanders and twin brother and sister Oliver and Flynn Russell were inseparable. After moving to different cites, Myles and Flynn had a falling out. Seven years later, Myles and Oli are still best friends living their dream of playing professional hockey together in Chicago. Flynn relocates to Chicago to be near her brother; consequently, needing to resolve the issues she has with Myles. This contemporary sports romance is suitable for adult audiences.

I loved R.C. Stephens’ BIG STICK. Being a Chicagoan, I appreciate that the story takes place there. I also respected that Myles and Oli played for my favorite team the Blackhawks. I like Myles, Oli, and Flynn. They are realistic and convincing characters. A tragedy caused some unresolved issues for them. Myles had a tough childhood and relied on the Russell family for support. Flynn believed in Myles and is a big part of the reason he is as successful as he is. Myles and Flynn have amazing chemistry. You truly want to see them work things out.

BIG STICK is a heartfelt and enjoyable read. The story was believable and skillfully-executed. The hockey scenes were easy to visualize and credible. I like the Peter Pan nick names. The Epilogue felt well concluded. This is the first book that I have read by R.C. Stephens. I enjoyed her writing style and plan on continue following the Big Stick series. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

Hockey is my life. And it's a great one. There's an endless line of women, and I get to hang with my best friend Oli. Everything is perfect until she shows up. Oli's twin sister Flynn....hates my guts. I don't blame her. I'm pare of one of the worst night of her life. Now she's next door and seeing her every day is killing me slowly. I wonder if we can ever get back to being friends. The way she looks at me sometimes, well, let's just say my hockey stick isn't the only thing that's feeling hard these days. But if she finds out the secrets I'm keeping, forgiveness will be the last thing on her mind.

This story is not a normal sports romance. It is a emotional read that just happens to have a sports star in it. Myles Sanders grew up next to Oliver Flynn who are twins. When their parents die things get really strange for Flynn and she decides she needs to cut Myles out of her life. That was seven years ago. Things are about to change as they are about to be in each other's lives again. Since Flynn caught her boyfriend cheating she is now staying with her twin Oliver who is next door neighbors and team mates with Flynn. Can she ever forgive him and let him back in her life and is Myles willing to let her do that? Like I said this is an emotional read that will have you rooting for what you want to happen. There area lot of moving parts and characters that there for you to love. It's a book that was fun to read and I really enjoyed doing just that.

Novels about second chances almost always guarantee success. We hope for happy endings, this is undeniable, and in the face of a couple separated by years and that they end up meeting again and find themselves still in love, we want love to win in the end. It may sound cheesy, but with so much happening on a daily basis, believing that a great love is possible is a consolation.
Flynn and Myles are examples of this. Friends since childhood, the two were inseparable, and together with Oliver, Flynn's twin brother formed the Three Musketeers. Over time, Flynn and Myles began to realize that their feelings began to change, the friendship, still very present, was turning into love. Neither of them had the courage to voice these feelings. Flynn for fear of rejection, Myles for thinking he could lose his friend and the affection of her parents. Until finally one night, the two declare themselves. One night that had everything to be magical and decisive, ended up in a tragedy. The world of Flynn and Oliver collapsed, and completely lost and mourning, Flynn receives another blow: Myles left when she most needed him.
Seven years pass. Flynn is a lawyer, she is engaged, her life is all calculated and she has become a closed person. Oliver and Myles are still friends, neighbors and play hockey professionally. The two are extremely famous and wealthy. Flynn and Oliver for being siblings have a relationship, by the way very loving. Flynn and Myles cut off any contact.
And after so long, Flynn's well-constructed world will break apart again. Her fiance has betrayed her, and a very drunk Flynn is taken to her brother's house, but she finds herself with none other than Myles, the guy who broke her heart so many years ago. Living now with her brother, Flynn and Myles happen to spend some time together again, and Myles swears that this time he will fight for the woman he loves.
Myles is extremely cute, the typical male hero written to make the reader sigh. Famous, successful, focused, humble, incredibly handsome, and tortured by everything that happened. The ideal package. He's never been able to forget Flynn, and he blames himself for leaving. Torn between love and friendship, Myles will play a crucial role when the secrets of the past come to light.
Flynn became a very different woman from the girl she had been. After experiencing such tragedy, her heart closed, and she never allowed herself to love unconditionally, because she would not suffer again. Very understandable all this mechanism that she found to deal with the loss she suffered.
With memories of the past, the weight of the tragedy and a well-kept secret, Myles and Flynn will not have an easy path until the happy ending. The journey will be full of anguish, mistrust, pain but with cute, funny and romantic moments to counterbalance.
Oliver and Sloane were relevant characters, well written and important to the plot. The hockey games between Flynn and Myles were a good link between the title of the book and the profession of the boys. A good story with a couple who clearly love each other, but who need to learn how to get rid of the ghosts of the past and forgive each other. Flynn and Myles conquer the reader with their story.

Big Sick is kind of a mix between second chance and friends, um enemies? to lovers romance. Myles is a hockey player, but other than knowing that, the mention of practices and games, and various people recognizing him, there's not much about the actual sport. The focus of the story is Flynn and Myles. There is a lot of push and pull between them as Flynn deals with a years old anger and Myles works to get back in her good graces while keeping a secret that could change everything. Myles is such a sweet character even as he frustrated the daylights out of me with his determination to take things slow until Flynn knows the truth, yet is completely unable to keep his hands off her at every turn. I'll admit I did figure out the secret before the big reveal, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story. What stood out for me was the witty banter between so many wonderful characters. I liked Myles and Flynn together and did find myself rooting for them, but even the secondary characters were fun and interesting. While this one certainly left me with a smile, I can't wait to see what happens with Oli and Sloan, and there's one other character I'm dying to know more about - Cale! He's not a hockey player, and we don't get much of him in this one, but I really want to know his story. All in all, this one did hold my interest and is a good combination of sweet, sexy, and emotional.

(As posted on Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read Blog https://mommasaystoreadornottoread.blogspot.com/2018/09/book-review-review-tour-big-stick-by-rc.html - scheduled for 8am on 9/19.18)

A good sports romance with a lot more emotion and backstory than usual. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships with each other. Hockey players are always fun to read for me too.