Cover Image: Come Undone: A Hockey Romance

Come Undone: A Hockey Romance

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Come Undone by new to me author Penny Dee, is chock-full of romance, heat, drama, and true love. It is a fast-paced read with two main characters that are instantly fascinating, likable, and have a ton of off the charts chemistry. This is a well-written sports romance that can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Mackenzie Eden is excellent at her job as an agent. She is smart, beautiful and always puts the needs of her clients above her own. Due to a bet with her cousin, who is also a colleague, former hockey superstar Jake Pennington is her latest challenge. Jake removed himself from professional hockey after a tragic accident occurred. A small cabin in Canada is where he now resides, as he continues to come to grips with the guilt that is forever surrounding him. Mackenzie believes that Jake has the ability to be a hockey great once again. Overtime, as they get to know each other, they fall into lust and love. Mixing business and pleasure is usually a bad thing, however, in their case it works out for the best.

I truly enjoyed this book and the engrossing plot is both sweet and sexy. Ms. Dee writes with a lot of passion, and as a result, I felt Mackenzie and Jake's emotional discoveries deep within my soul. Although Mackenzie's mom had a small role in the story, she was a real trip. This story temporarily took over my stressful world and left me completed sated.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

Hot hockey player? Check.
Tough girl with some baggage? Check.
Super steamy sex life? Check.

I liked this book. I did. But there were some inconsistencies throughout the book, one being the biggest and I just can't forgive it. In one chapter Jake "removed a DVD from a case, then threw the cover across to me" and they sang karaoke. Two chapters later she says "There was no TV reception and Jake's grandfather had never bought a DVD player, so we were really relying on keeping ourselves occupied." How does an inconsistency like that not get caught? That's ridiculous.

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC from NetGalley for this. I loved every minute of this book. It was one of the best romance books! Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen it threw me for a loop! I was at the edge of my seat through the whole thing! Love love love

Was this review helpful?

Jake was a hockey superstar until he was injured in a game. He just wants to be at peace. Mackenzie is hired to be his agent. She doesn't take no for an answer and is determined to see Jake back at the top. The couple fight but end up stuck at a cabin for four long days and things heat up between them. A sexy, heartfelt sports romance. A recommended read.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

Was this review helpful?

It wasn't what I expected and I think my high hopes can be the reason of my disappointing.
I love sport romances, especially funny ones, and I've read great reviews of this one. It's not a bad book, it has a very interesting start point and two MC with a touching background. Mix that with sexual tension and funny dialogues and I'm already in! But... Well, to me the idea is great but the development is not. Maybe I was expecting something like See Jane Score (I love that book!) and I didn't find it. My mistake, of course. I found some plots poorly developed and the book didn't hook me.
However, the first part was funny and sexy and I think you should give this book a chance, maybe if your hopes are not as high as mine you can have a good time and a good reading.

Was this review helpful?

Yet another fairly predictable book. Boy meets girl, boy and girl get stuck in a snow storm together for days on end, boy falls head over heels with girl and then boy's problems all disappear.

It's called a "hockey romance" though I have to warn you there's actually very little hockey in the first 80% of the book. Even towards the end, hockey takes a back seat to the main plot.

Even though it was predictable, it was a cute read.

** ARC received from Netgalley **

Was this review helpful?

4.5 Stars

What a great love story! This book starts out on such a tragic note but somehow, the author is able to give us hope that we will all live to see an other day. The pain of the present will never be forgotten but will somehow ease over time. Finding the balm to your soul will make things even better.

Jake and Mackenzie meet because of a bet. A secret bet made by Mackenzie's cousin. Her job is to lure Jake back to hockey. What she finds is a broken man with a great heart. She falls in love despite the bet and their relationship moves forward from there.

There are some predictable bumps int he road in this story. However, the secondary characters, the texting, the humor all make up for what the reader can just feel is going to be the break point for these two.

Love this author and loved the story so much! I hope we get to see more of this world at some point.

Was this review helpful?

Given how tragic the story begins I was surprised by the amount of wit and humor of both characters. I loved Jake. I mostly liked Mackenzie - sometimes she was a little much and her maturity didn't quite fit her business role. Overall, I'd recommend this hockey romance for lots of feels and a great comeback story.

Was this review helpful?

**I received a copy of Come Undone from the author and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review*

Come Undone by Penny Dee is such a wonderful book I Loved it and can't wait to see if Cowboy, Casanova, and Loki will get their own books. There was suspense, angst over a accidental death and a second chance at love for both of the H/h.

Tyler Pennington has had too many deaths to deal and when a fight on the ice leads to the accidental death of his best friend he quits and retreats to his grandfathers cabin in Canada. Having Mackenzie show up there to try and convince him to return to ice hockey and bring the worst team to the Stanley Cup may be something to consider. But when a blizzard snows them in could a game of "Never have I ever" have them thinking of something more?

When Mackenzie Eden makes a bet with her brother and father to sign Tyler with their agency and bring him back to lead the Galveston Fury to the Stanley Cup. Even with her other two clients giving her grief with their constant press and not the good kind signing Tyler might be the icing on the cake. So take a cabin in a blizzard, a hot grief stricken hockey star snowstorm, and a bottom of the barrel ice hockey team is there a possibility that they both could fall in love? Oh remember that bet with her brother? Yep you guessed it Tyler finds out and it will take all their friends and family to get both of them back together. But when a mental disturbed former boyfriend/stalker shows up can Tyler save Mackenzie in time?

Was this review helpful?

I was a little upset when I started reading this book, not the way you would imagine why I would be upset..Why am? Well because unfortunately for me I had picked some other books to read before this one and the other books just didn't do it for me and then I started reading this one and was like wow why did I wait? This book was great I totally fell in love with Jake and to top it off he was a hockey player and I love myself some hockey players..Jake had been thru some emotional times and I think that Mackenzie showed up just when he needed her. I also enjoyed Mackenzie she was a smart woman who did what needed to get done..I wont tell you more my friends but encourage you to grab a copy and as always Enjoy!

Was this review helpful?

'Holy freakin' smokes'- I did enjoy this book. Everything I expected from its cover and a fair bit more.
I really liked this sweet and sizzling at times story of Jake Pennington, a talented hockey player who wants to give up his sport after losing his family and best friend in two accidents, and Mackenzie Eden, an adorable and extremely tenacious sports agent, who is determined to get him back in the game.
I loved the story line, the humour of the telephone autocorrect banter, the slow build-up of tension, and above all, the characters: two decent people without a single mean bone between them, loyal, supportive, and willing to see the best in other people.
This was the first book by Penny Dee I have read and I will definitely be checking out her other novels. Strongly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Xpresso Book tours for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

Emotional and sexy. Jake has been through it and is just plain lost. Will anyone ever believe in him again? While Mackenzie had me wanting to slap her silly, she redeems herself with her love for Jake.

I didn't realize this was previously published book and that I had read it in 2017. It was a great read.

Was this review helpful?

Jake Pennington one time hockey star has left the building as they say. What he really did is left the U.S. to Canada for the cabin that was once his grandfathers. Having lost his parents, sister in a crash now he has lost his best friend in a skating accident on the rink that everyone blames him for. Running away he is surprised days later when he is confronted by Mackenzie Eden who announces she is his new agent. She is also beautiful, a pain in his ass, frustrating, annoying, did he say beautiful. Then they get stuck because of a blizzard and yes they fall for each other until she panics runs away, and he decides to come back to hockey. She gets him a contract and then against her better judgment can’t stay away from him. Going to her father’s office to change clients her cousin is there and she tells him he won the bet because she has fallen for Jake. Jake standing at the door skips over the love part and only hears bet and then leaves and goes down along with his game and the team and maybe the championship. Will these too get back together before he destroys his team with lack of play or will they continue to cause everyone around them to freeze because of the chilly personalities? Read and find out, a fun story with good characters.

Was this review helpful?

What happens when everyone important to you is suddenly gone? What happens when you’re the reason your best friend is dead?
Does a bottle of Bourbon become your new friend?

Jake a “former” shining hockey star now hides out in his cabin in Canada, refusing to ever skate again. Abandoning hockey he seeks comfort in seclusion and comfort with his new friend, bourbon.

Mackenzie is an agent looking to make a name for herself. She makes a deal with a co-worker that she can get Jake back on to the ice. If she wins the bet, she's well on her way to making her career dreams come true.

Mackenzie isn’t one to shy away from a challenge and boy is Jake a challenge. A huge, hunk, of gorgeous, challenge. Despite the insta-lust he feels for Mackenzie, Jake wants nothing to do with her. Not taking no for an answer Mackenzie follows Jake to Canada. A snowstorm locks them together. Where, not only does their chemistry take hold, but so do their stories.

Jake soon discovers that Mackenzie has gotten under his skin. For some reason he wants her to know the real Jake. The good, the bad, the ugly. Their friendship builds into something truly beautiful.

“Sometimes the bad things that happen to us put us on the right path toward the best things that happen to us.”

But as soon as the ice melts and the roads clear, reality hits.

Is he her boyfriend or her client, or neither? Will he return to play hockey? What happens if he finds out about the bet? In the midst of all this, Mackenzie’s past comes knocking at her door.

An interesting story! I was gasping and cringing right out of the gate! The story had some predictable elements for sure, but it also took some turns I didn’t expect. The writing kept me intrigued and completely entertained.

Was this review helpful?

3.5*

Loved Jake and Z - it all felt very natural. Mind you could have slapped him upside the head when the inevitable bump in the road happened as he shouldn’t have been so stupid to think what he did!
Jake has been through a lot - after reading the prologue you just can’t imagine the author throwing anything else at him - thank goodness she healed him.

Was this review helpful?

I'm not going to pretend that I know much (anything) about ice hockey. I have actually watched a couple of games before (once back home in Nottingham and the other time, randomly, in Moscow) but that's about the extent of my knowledge. Not that that stopped me from enjoying this book. Jake is a professional Ice Hockey player who has had the worlds worst luck, with just about everyone in his life dying. He is no longer playing and plans to shut himself away in a cabin in Canada. Enter Mackenzie, who takes him on as his agent and follows him to Canada to try and convince him not to give everything up.
Of course, the more time that Jake and Mackenzie spend together, the more they are drawn to one another and start to fall in love. This is a romance novel, so there are plenty of classic conflicts, situations and misunderstandings. With everything from being snowed into a feeling of betrayal and even an evil bad guy waiting in the wings. It could be a little cliched if it weren't for the fact that Penny Dee is such a good writer that you get pulled right into the story. It wasn't quite a one sitting read, as I had things to do, but it didn't take me much longer than that.
Jake was lovely, despite how damaged he was, he came off as relatively normal. Mackenzie was very likeable and they worked well together as a couple. I particularly enjoyed the jokey relationship that they developed right from the start, with the autocorrect on Jake's phone sparking off a flirtatious exchange.
I've read a few books by Penny Dee now and I'm quickly becoming a fan of her romances that offer a little more than a lot of similar books on the market.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

This wonderful romance features Mackenzie and Jake. Sometimes a book boyfriend comes along and he’s so much more than a drool-worthy body and the face of a god. Sometimes he’s like hockey player, Jake Pennington. He plays hard and loves harder. After tragic events happened, he just needed someone to believe in him. He was so lost. Mackenzie isn’t quite sure which direction she’s going. She’s lost too in her own way. Sometimes I wanted to shake her to make her see the mistakes she’s making. This is an amazing story about tragedy, loss, trust, losing yourself and finding someone who brings the light back into your dark world.

Bravo! I love this one! I’m looking forward to reading more from this fabulous author.

Was this review helpful?

This book started out strong and has an intriguing storyline. Jake, a guy beat down by some horrible twists of fate, meets a young woman, Mackenzie, who is determined to help him get back on his feet, and on the ice, where he was once a successful hockey player. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but then it seemed to go downhill, starting with the old trope of being stuck in a snowstorm together. There were little things that bothered me, like the fact they were cabin-bound for several days while a storm raged outside, yet when it stopped snowing they were able to walk out the front door and around the surrounding property. Wouldn’t they have had to grab some shovels and dig themselves out? Jake, who is apparently so distraught by his losses, refuses to entertain the idea of going back to hockey, yet before you know it he is out on the ice at the cabin and skating his heart out. And somehow, Mackenzie manages to talk Jake into going ack to the sport. How, I’m not really sure. One minute he seems hell-bent on staying away forever, and the next he’s telling her to make a deal for him. It was a 180º that was never really explained. Of course that sets up the next part of the book, when Jake is somehow expected to take a ragtag hockey team from the back of the bunch to the finals. It all just seemed like the author was trying to include as many tropes as she could.
Note: I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was an amazing read! I wasn’t familiar with Ms. Dee’s writing until very recently and she is now one of my favorite authors.

Mackenzie is sports agent, think Jerry McGuire. Jake is an outstanding hockey player playing for the NHL when an incident occurs that keeps him off the ice and isolated from everyone. In comes Mackenzie, she is determined to make Jake a star again. She even bet her brother her favorite car that she can get him back on the ice. She heads up to Canada to talk to Jake and once there a snow storm hits that keeps them confined to his tiny house out in the middle of nowhere for days. You can guess the rest from there.

I have to admit, I might be a little in love with Jake myself! He is an incredible guy and Mackenzie is everything you would want as his love interest. You don’t have to be a hockey fan to enjoy this book, but I bet you will like it better when your done. This is a solid romance with just enough erotica to make it fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read!!

Was this review helpful?

This is Jake and Mackenzie book, Jake was a hockey superstar and Mackenzie is a sports agent. After following a career ending tragedy Jake just wants to be left alone! Mackenzie sees nothing but potential in the broody ex hockey player! This book was ok, it was a little to mmmmm I guess dark and depressing for me?! It wasn't a bad story just a little to much for me! I do recommend it and if you like the bit darker stories this one's for you! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Was this review helpful?