Stevie receives the birthday present that she didn’t want when she walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her but at least she knows her brother has her back. He has arranged for her to stay in his apartment while he is out of town but even that turns into a comedy of errors when she runs into his teammate Bishop.

Bishop is a professional hockey player who is irate to the extreme when a woman is making a ruckus in the hallway in the middle of the night. He has no idea why she is trying to get into his teammate’s apartment but the one thing he does know is she doesn’t belong there.

These two had no intention of seeing each other however when Bishop is injured he needs a physiotherapist, and Stevie is a physiotherapist who needs a client. It seems like the perfect solution to both their problems what could possibly go wrong?

What a fun story this turned out to be. Hot chemistry, humorous banter and all the feels as not only do we get to see the relationship between Stevie and Bishop unfold but we get to catch up with all the characters we know and love as well.

Fun, snarky, clever, hilarious, hot and heartfelt. And fun. So much FUN!! Gah! I adore Bishop and Stevie! The scene when they first meet is more of a meet-hate than a meet-cute, and the momentum just snowballs from there.

Stevie Bowman is not having a good day. She moved to Seattle with her boyfriend, both lives and works with him, and just walked in on him and another woman in their bed. It’s late, she's devastated, she's tired, she's frustrated with fighting her broken suitcase, and she just wants the stupid lock on her brother's empty apartment to work. Then she gives us my favorite line in the book after tripping due to the problematic suitcase: “I lie there for a few seconds, waiting for a piano or a safe to fall from the ceiling and land on top of me, because it’s been that kind of a day.” Hashtag NoTruerWords

Enter Bishop Winslow, teammate of Stevie's brother RJ and the across-the-hall neighbor, in all of his glorious, larger-than-life, boxer-clad beauty. Too bad his personality is the exact opposite of his looks. There's not a compassionate cell in his DNA for the hot mess that is Stevie as he takes her to task for making so much noise. Even worse, he makes assumptions that increase his jerk quotient by about a thousand percent. And then things really get interesting. When Bishop gets injured during a hockey game, Stevie agrees to work her physical therapy magic on his injury to get him back in the game sooner.

With an abundance of madcap comedy, sarcastic and entertaining banter, and laugh-out-loud moments, this book also goes surprisingly deep. Stevie has always been in the shadow of her famous brother, and RJ treats Stevie more like he's her father than her brother. With as strong, ambitious and feisty as Stevie is, it was interesting to see how this dynamic was played out. And Bishop, for all of his bluster and jerk factor, really cares about the people in his life but has a few lessons coming his way, as well.

This one captivated me from the very first scene and I flew through the pages, reading it in one sitting. With the essential elements of humor, heat and heart woven perfectly together throughout the story for the maximum emotional impact, these characters will live in my heart forever. If you like a book that takes you on the best kind of emotional roller coaster, leaves your face with a smile and your heart with a happy sigh, you absolutely won’t want to miss this one!

After reading A lie for a Lie I couldn’t wait to read this book. It was amazing and didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The humor, the tension, the interactions and holy hell the hotness just has you intrigued from start to finish. The way this story develops has you wanting more. Bishop is an ahole from the start but it just works for his character. Holy hot mess is Stevie but it makes her character that much love able. There chemistry jumps of the page and has you interested in how this book will play out. I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed every word.

this was absolutely fantastic - sexy, swoony, sweet! such a good enemies to lovers! love helena hunting. can't wait for the next one!

✨A Favor For A Favor by Helena Hunting✨

This is a new sports romance book just released from Helena. It tells the story of Bishop, a ice hockey player and Stevie, the little sister of an ice hockey star, who just happens to be Bishops enemy on his team! After an injury, Stevie offers to help Bishop rehab and get better but throw in a mistaken identity, a protective big brother, trust issues and a grumpy injured ice hockey player then you’ve got a perfect enemy to lovers story, which is what this is!

I really enjoyed this book, it’s 🔥🔥🔥 and cute and funny too! It was a really quick read for me and I always really enjoy Helena’s writing! I know absolutely nothing at all about ice hockey, but that didn’t really impact the story for me much. But I have to say if ice hockey groupies are really actually called Puck Bunnies and it wasn’t just made up for the book, then that is truly iconic, best name ever 😂

Advanced copy from Netgalley ✨

I loved this book even more than I did A Lie for A Lie and I enjoyed it quite a bit. From the way that Stevie and Bishop meet, to the slowburn of their relationship, and the way that Alex, Vi, Rook, and Lainey are included in the story - I could not put the book down. Stevie is the perfect mix of boss bish and vulnerable which makes her so real and the kind of character that I wish was real so that we could be besties. Bishop worked my nerves a bit in the beginning with how judgey he is towards Stevie and Rook (it just came off as a bit disproportionate without any context), but I really liked that once he realizes the error of his ways, he is quick to try to make amends. Their relationship develops in such a natural and believable way that the fact that it is a bit of a slowburn didn't even occur to me until we finally got down to the nitty gritty and I realized that the book was almost over! I can't deny that I wanted more but that's just because I was having such a good time with these characters and in this world. I can't wait for A Secret for A Secret and I hope that the All In series is at least as long as the Pucked series - I can read Helena Hunting books about hockey hunks and the women they love into perpetuity. 4.5 out of 5 wine glasses.

C'est toujours un régal de lire une comédie romantique d'Helena Hunting et ce second tome de la saga All in a tenu toutes ses promesses. Dès les premières pages , le ton est donné car les joutes verbales seront de mises et les tenues de combats au rendez vous. Vous n'allez pas vous ennuyer une seule seconde avec A favor for a favor .



Stevie Bowman est la petite soeur de Rook alias RJ que nous avions découvert dans le premier tome sur lui et Lainey. Ce dernier revient de loin car ce serial séducteur s'est enfin posé et est heureux avec sa femme et son fils Koby. La situation sentimentale de notre héroïne est quant à elle loin d'être géniale ! Après avoir eu une relation à distance , elle arrive à Seattle pour faire une surprise à Joey son petit ami mais c'est elle qui aura une sacrée surprise et elle sera des plus désagréables ! Le pire est qu'elle va devoir continuer de travailler à ses côtés car elle entame sa formation pour devenir kiné dans le milieu sportif. Joey est une vraie tête à claques et il m'a donné plus d'une fois envie de le baffer. Il mettra tout en oeuvre pour pourrir la vie de notre héroïne et on espère qu'elle trouvera en elle la force de le confronter une bonne fois pour toute. Stevie a toujours tout mis en oeuvre pour ne pas être sous le feu des projecteurs et ce ne sera pas chose facile avec la notoriété de son frère. Ce dernier ne semble pas conscient du poids qui pèse sur les épaules de sa soeur et je l'ai même trouvé assez égocentrique dans ses propos. Il n'est pas mauvais ou égoïste mais il ne conçoit pas qu'elle puisse mener sa vie comme elle l'entend. Il veut certes la protéger et il va le faire très maladroitement.



Stevie n'est pas une jeune femme faible et elle sait ce qu'elle veut dans sa vie. Quand elle est vulnérable , elle va faire la rencontre de son cher voisin et les premiers échanges seront très tendus. Les quiproquos et les préjugés sont donc à l'origine de situations comiques dont nous allons nous délecter. Elle va accepter de lui rendre service en échange de sa "protection" contre l'affreux Joey. Elle sera indéniablement une aide précieuse à un moment délicat de la carrière de notre joueur et la relation qu'ils vont réussir à tisser est vraiment très intéressante à découvrir. On attend avec impatience les moments qu'ils passeront ensemble car on sait qu'on passera un bon moment avec eux. Nous allons donc espérer qu'ils puissent s'entendre sur la longueur et qu'ils pourront affronter main dans la main les obstacles qui vont se mettre sur leur chemin. Stevie pourrait bien aussi trouver sa place dans le groupe des femmes de joueurs et j'ai pris plaisir à revoir Violet qui n'a toujours aucun filtre et qui nous promet donc encore de délicieux moments.



Bishop Winslow est un joueur de hockey que nous allons découvrir dans ce tome. Il est nouvellement arrivé dans l'équipe et il n'a pas encore digéré le fait que Rook ait obtenu le poste de capitaine qu'il convoitait. Leurs rapports sont très tendus et ils n'iront pas en s'améliorant car chacun campera sur ses positions. Ils ont de forts caractères et cela pourrait faire des étincelles sur le glace. Ils devront mettre de côté leur différent s'ils veulent souder leur équipe et même Alex Waters aura du pain sur la planche. Une blessure va lourdement l'handicaper et si on a envie de rire de cette blessure si particulière , on sent qu'il souffre atrocement. Le fait de devoir être loin de la glace va aussi jouer sur son mental et ce grognon va devoir prendre son mal en patience.



Si en apparence , il semble être un homme à femmes, il faudra gratter le vernis pour découvrir qui il est vraiment. Il est évident qu'il a une colère grandissante en lui mais il va devoir la canaliser s'il veut avoir des dialogues construits et constructifs avec Stevie. Il s'occupe aussi de Nolan , son frère et c'est intéressant de voir que la relation de nos deux héros avec leur frère respectif apporte son lot de tension et d'inquiétude supplémentaires. Nolan a quelques soucis et abuse de la notoriété de son frère pour attirer les femmes dans son lit. Bishop est au final maladroit quand il s'agira de protéger ceux qu'il aime mais heureusement il pourra compter sur Kingston pour tempérer les choses mais aussi lui ouvrir les yeux sur des notions amoureuses qu'il ne maîtrise absolument pas.



Bref, si vous lisez en VO, foncez découvrir cette nouvelle saga All In car vous ne le regretterez pas. J'espère vivement pour les lecteurs français qu'une traduction VF sera disponible prochainement car Helena Hunting nous offre une romance sportive comme on les aime avec de l'humour, de l'adrénaline , du hockey et de la sensualité. Le cocktail est explosif et on en redemande encore et toujours. Le prochain tome sera sur Kingston et j'ai hâte de retrouver cet univers si addictif.

4.5 Stars - Top Pick

Stevie is Rook’s (A Lie for A Lie) baby sister. She needs a place to stay after walking in on her boyfriend having sex with another woman. It is not just so simple to kick him out since they now work at the same place. So off to her brother’s place she goes where she has an interesting run in with one of his teammates.

Bishop is busy taking care of his brother and finding his place on the team. The new neighbor next door is not the distraction he wants to deal with at the moment. When he suffers an incident that leaves him out of the game, he is desperate to get back on the ice. Despite their initial tension, Stevie offers to help Bishop out. Stevie needs a recommendation from another athlete outside of her brother. He needs to get back in the game. They fight to death but there is no denying the chemistry and craziness of these two.

Of course, there is so much more to this story than humor. I know this is a spin-off of the Pucked series but it has such a different vibe and feel. I love every book so far. Bishop has a lot to deal with his brother and his sports. I really liked that the author didn’t give him the playboy vibes. He is more focused than most players. There is a realness to his situation than just sexy athlete next door.

Stevie is very sassy and is perfect for Bishop. I just hated how immature she came across at times. I think her relationship with her brother showed it most. She hated being known as his kid sister but he is older. He is a famous hockey player. There really is no way around it. So her making it a big deal was not dealt with properly.

I’m not a fan of slow burn romances unless they are done right. This one was perfection. I mean this is like having your favorite ice cream after a good meal kind of perfection. There is just enough parts of humor, angst, being a jerk and sexiness to just make me gush. I like that they didn’t just run into each other arms. By the end, I was a panting mess. I want more of these two.

~ Samantha

This is definitely my favorite in the series so far. I loved the first book, but I absolutely fell in love with this book. The heroine is sassy and feisty. The hero is broody and sexy. Together, their chemistry is off the charts. I loved the humor and the banter between them. I loved the slow burn in the story. I did not want to put this book down and I am definitely looking forward to more in this series and from this author.

I absolutely loved Bishop & Stevie's story. From the first time they meet it's on! This Enemies to Lovers Romance takes a sweet ride, after the hilarious antagonism in the beginning, to friendship and a delicious slow burn. It's really during the friendship that it's the funniest. The one liners will make you snort & laugh out loud. Bishop's brother Nolan is great as is Stevie's friends Jules & Patty. Any book with Alex & Violet is gold for me. But ultimately this is about how Bishop & Stevie find that they are each other's person and they are perfect for each other. This is such a great book and will easily be your next 1 click!!! #AFavorForAFavor #NetGalley

A Favor for a Favor is the second book in a spin-off series from Helena Hunting’s Pucked series. It is a slow burn enemies to lovers, sports romance told in dual pov. I loved the first book in the series but this is in a class of its own!! What will she have in store for us in the third book Kingston’s book!!

One of the things about Helena’s books you can always count on a funny, quirky, laugh out loud “meet cute” and she did not disappoint on this one.

Helena opens the story up with Stevie (RJ's younger sister from A Lie for a Lie) arriving at RJ’s empty apartment to stay. This is due to the fact that she was going to surprise her boyfriend at their new apartment, but she is the one that is surprised finding him plowing someone else on their brand-new couch!! Arriving at her brother apartment really late after having one terrible day, she looks a mess, she broke her suitcase, and she can’t get the key in the door. The door across the hall opens and this good looking but rude man starts yelling about all the noise she is making. What a way for her day to end her birthday no less!!
Misunderstanding on both of their parts, him thinking she is sneaking into his married team captain's apartment, so he is rude and disrespectable to her. Her thinking he is a womanizer who seems to have a constant stream of women in and out of his door and extremely grumpy.
Stevie does not know he is a member of the new Seattle’s hockey expansion team, the same one her brother is the caption on. Bishop does not know Stevie is the little sister of his new captain…the one that he does not see eye to eye with!!

These two start a love hate relationship that is so hot is could just combust. With all the tempers and snarky attitudes, full of banter and humor and one-liners with sizzling chemistry. There is this cat and mouse game in the hall in the mornings as they pick up their newspapers with him in his boxers with sayings on them and her wearing sports bras and yoga pants. They antagonize each other but all it is doing is arousing them both!! Their reactions are so hilariously funny!

During one of Bishop’s game he suffers a groin injury and is worried about being off the ice for too long. Even thou this was not funny some of the scenes you could not help to laugh out loud, him struggling to get into his apartment. Stevie finds him passed out in the hall and allowed him to stay on her couch overnight. She discovers he is a hockey player and eventually they make the connection!!

Stevie offers to help, she's a is physiotherapist specializing in sports therapy and would love to get some experience rehabbing an NHL player without her brothers help. She could get him back on the ice faster so he finally gives in. This is where the fun begins and boy was it fun!! Their friendship/relationship was a slow and steady build, they seemed to bring out the best of each other. But they were not without obstacles on their road to love!!

I enjoyed this story from start to finish and can’t wait for the next book coming.
I loved spending time with the Pucked family, and oh boy I’ll just say omg Violet!!

A Favor for a Favor gets off to a rocky start with a way less than cute first meeting between the hero, Bishop Winslow, and heroine, Stevie Bowman. Bishop is a teammate of Stevie’s brother, Rook, and they have their own antagonistic relationship that definitely colors Stevie and Bishop’s at first. While there wasn’t any romance going on between them in the beginning, there sure was a whole lot of attraction.

Stevie Bowman, a recent grad school graduate in physiotherapy, has had one heck of a bad day. She arrives home a few days early to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend and gets her own very unpleasant surprise. With nowhere else to go, she heads to her brother’s empty penthouse in the middle of the night, looking every bit of the hot mess her life has suddenly become. The last thing she needs is a super-hot guy in his underwear giving her a wicked tongue lashing for the inadvertent ruckus of her arrival. She dishes it right back, and the tone is set between the two of them.

Bishop is struggling to settle into his new team. His plate is full dealing with his younger brother’s health issues, and he’s being shuffled around on the ice. As if all of that isn’t enough, he gets sidelined the first game of the season with a massive groin injury further complicating his efforts to fit in on the team. He discovers his assumptions about Stevie were way off base, and she proposes a mutually beneficial favor for a favor arrangement. She’ll double up his PT to get him back on the ice, and he’ll give her the glowing recommendation of a professional athlete to bolster her new career.

Stevie begins rehabbing Bishop, and the sparks between them start to fly. I loved their snappy banter, but even more than that I loved how they didn’t rush to act on the chemistry between them. They kept it mostly professional, but the more time they spent together getting to know each other, the more their walls came down. Stevie has struggled with the attention she received as a result of her brother’s fame, and now as an adult, she is fanatical in her efforts to avoid it. This couple grows a lot during this time, and I loved watching them become friends while fighting their attraction to each other.

A Favor For A Favor was a fun take on a quid pro quo scenario, and Helena Hunting brought the heart, the heat and the humor in this swoony, sexy and sweet enemies-to-lovers romance. A Favor For A Favor by Helena Hunting gets 4.5 smooches from me!
~Danielle Palumbo, Red Cheeks Reads
~Danielle Palumbo

I love a good Hockey Romance and Helena Hunting writes them so well!! A favor for a favor gives us so many laughs with some feels thrown in the mix. This was book was very much needed. I love a good rom com. Ms. Hunting is one of my favorites and will always be a one click author for me. Absolutely a must read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

Helena Hunting has created another memorable couple. Stevie and Bishop have amazing and intense chemistry laced with witty banter. As with all this author's books, you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend reading this if you enjoy sports romance filled with humorous antics.

This is the second book in the All In series and can be read as a standalone. A Favor For A Favor by Helena Hunting is an EPIC read and will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!

Thank you to Helena Hunting, Montlake Romance, SocialButterflyPR, and Netgalley for the advance reader copy of A Favor for a Favor, the second standalone novel in the All in Series

Who doesn't love more hockey romance from the Canadian Hockey Goddess herself Helena Hunting? This All In series started strong with, A Lie for a Lie and this strength continues into A Favor for a Favor.

Characters: Stevie and Bishop are the dual point of views that Helena provides in this wonderful story. Stevie is the little sister of RJ, who was the male love interest of the first standalone in the series. Stevie has lived her entire life in the limelight of her brother and she is sick of it. Despite her drive for independence and making her own choices, you do see the cracks in her facade of a baby sister who just wanted the love of her bigger brother and the rest of her family. Bishop is RJ's teammate and due to confusing circumstances comes across as an asshole at the beginning of the story, but he is really a big softie.

Setting: Seattle is the setting as we have switched to focusing on the new Seattle franchise that was beginning to be established back in the Pucked series. I am a PNWesterner so I love Seattle dearly so I love focusing the story here. I just hope in the third standalone it features the city itself just a bit more.

Pacing: This was paced quite well, a bit slow to the action but it allowed for a wonderful slow burn and lots of sexual tension.

Romance: Talk about two people who needed each other dearly. People burned by love, loss, and life in non-average ways. Watching them give in to their desires for each other and their larger in life love was absolutely joyous.

Just to begin with, Stevie is the younger sister of RJ who we previously met in a Lie for a Lie and although they don’t NEED to be read in order I will suggest you do because you’ll love the brother as much as you’ll love the sister in this book.

After an incident with an ex Stevie is left with no where to stay and no one to go to except her brother who just so happens to have a penthouse empty but once see gets there she meets the neighbour, the neighbour who isn’t too friendly. As things get off on the wrong foot Stevie stands her ground and gives him as much as he gives her. She’s badass and won’t take shit from anyone especially not him.

Bishop is an NHL player, he’s big and intimating and a huge asshole. After getting a hit in hockey he’s out with an injury and help comes in form of an unexpected woman. He’s cranky and irritated almost always but he’s damn hot whilst being that way. I love how he is on the outside and is completely different on the inside. There’s more to this man than meets the eye and it’s fun getting to see it.

The back and forth between these two is absolutely brilliant, I absolutely love banter between characters and these two hit it on the head. I loved every moment we get between them. Their funny moments, the sensitive moments, just everything. They’re so different in many ways but similar in others, they compliment each other well and they’re just perfect. They were both struggling with real issues throughout this book and although it’s sad to read I love that Helena included them.

I also adore that their relationship was gradual, slow and steady throughout the book, there was no rush for them to bed each other and the build up was just spot on.

RJ makes quite a few appearances in this book and I love it. He’s protective and cares so much for Stevie like a big brother should. He’s made some mistakes but we see him make up for them. Also I just want to add in Kingston, I truly hope we get a story from this man because he intrigued me so much. He’s kind of reminds me of Darren (Pucked Over) he keeps himself to himself and honestly, that makes me want to hear his story more.

Helena truly did an incredible job of bringing Stevie and Bishop’s story to life. This is actually my favourite from this series so far even though I loved RJ and Lainey’s book so much.

A Favor for A Favor is a sports romance filled with fun moments and sad times. It’s a gripping romance that’ll leave you needing more and it’s without a doubt one of the greatest books of 2019.

***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***

Nobody writes hockey romance like Helena. And nobody has created such a hot, irresistible set of leading hockey men as Helena. 

A Favor for a Favor is the second installment in Helena's All In series. Stevie Bowman is going through a bit of a personal crisis. Her boyfriend betrayed her, on her birthday of all days, leaving her with no place to stay. Fortunately her big brother Rook has a place she can crash at ... and a sexy, a-hole neighbor who is bound and determined to get under Stevie's skin. 

Bishop Winslow is the a-hole neighbor. He also plays on the same NHL team as Rook, and the two don't have the best relationship. Bishop mistakes Stevie for a puck bunny and after that, things are on between the two. 

There are fireworks from the start between Bishop and Stevie—and not of the good kind. These two despise one another from the get go and they do everything they can to annoy one another. When Bishop gets injured and finds out Stevie is a physiotherapist, the pieces of the wall between the two slowly start to crumble. Stevie works on Bishop, helping him rehab quicker ... in secret. Not gonna spill any beans here but, trust me when I say that things heat up both on and off the ice.

Stevie is awesome. From the pink hair to the snark and sass, I adored her. She's a tough cookie, she refused to tolerate any bs from her ex or any of the other men in the story, and she was very relatable. I loved Bishop from the first time he appeared in the story. He's a good guy who's determined to make the most of his place on the team. He also struck me as honorable, and I loved that. 

This is a fun, sexy, and slightly angsty story. Despite the low points in the story, Helena kept me laughing throughout, and the book is filled with the banter I've come to expect in her stories. Also, we get to see Alex and Violet again in this book and that made me all sorts of happy. 

If you're a fan of sports romances, rom coms, hockey, snark ... grab this book and start reading it today! This can be read as a standalone, but I'd read A Lie for a Lie too. And the Pucked series. Really, just read it all. 

Five stars to this novel!

The start of the book is hilarious and horrible at the same time. Hilarious, because you know both sides of the story, horrible because Bishop is so, so wrong. I loved every moment of it. He is one surly, delicious, hockey player. The family element in this book was amazing. I love how the interactions between both of the main characters and their siblings play such a big role in how the story progresses. Helena Hunting does a wonderful job with hockey player stories by really fleshing out the individual men and usually pitting them against strong wonderful women. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to Montlake Romance for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The hockey madness continues in A Favor for A Favor the second installment in the All In hockey series by Helena Hunting. This book was so different to the previous one and Helena Hunting made me well and truly hate the male lead from the first book in this second installment. Having never had a brother, I have no idea how these dynamics work but I did feel that RJ went psycho over protective when it came to Stevie. But, since all was made right in the end, I guess I forgive my original favorite male hockey lead.

This book told the story of Stevie and Bishop; Bishop being a fellow hockey player and “rival” to Stevie’s brother RJ. This book had it all, the jerk-y brooding man that was Bishop and the sarcastically insecure female lead. These two characters meet after a nasty break up sends Stevie running and lands her in her brother’s old apartment which just so happens to make her neighbors with Bishop a man who insults her from the very moment they met. When an injury leaves Bishop out of commission for a couple of weeks, despite his horrid behavior, Stevie (a physiotherapist) offers to help Bishop get back on the ice quicker. Along the way, with both of them aiding each other, they manage to develop feelings for each other. They say opposites attract and these two sure fit the bill, they’re two wonderfully lonely souls who find each other at the perfect time.

After this second book, I’m even more hooked in to this world of Seattle hockey, I can’t wait to see what the author has up her sleeve for the third book!

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shhh…I have a secret. I hate to admit it, but A Favor for A Favor is only my second Helena Hunting book. I know, I know. Where have I been living given her prolific reading list filled with lots of $exy hockey players and their heroines? Well, apparently, I’ve been living too far under a rock, and I need to come up for air and get to her reading list immediately BECAUSE A Favor for A Favor has everything I love in a rom-com: a cranky hero, a sassy heroine who puts him in his place more often than not, some serious chemistry that quite literally explodes after a serious slow burn, and lots and lots of hilarious banter between the two. Add to that a hero who loves to wear underwear with messages written over his junk and a game of catch the other one in his/her skimpiest of clothing, and you have a BIG hit. Because that is what A Favor for A Favor is…a must-read.

Emotion is a measure for me of a great book. Do you make me cry? Do you make me laugh? Do you make me want to launch my phone or Kindle at the wall in anger or frustration or fright? If you can pull any one of these reactions from me, then you have sold me on your book. Helena Hunting’s A Favor for A Favor did two of these: it made me laugh and it made me shed a tear. That last reaction might seem strange for a rom-com, but everyone knows that a rom-com has to have some level of tension in it because we cannot simply let the hero and heroine go easily into their happily ever after. Right? That is indeed the case for our hero and heroine in Helena Hunting’s story.

However, up to that point, laughter is the best medicine when you have a hero with a serious attitude. From Stevie’s overbearing brother to Bishop’s playboy brother to a cat whose name will make you spit-take to a neanderthal ex-boyfriend to friends that challenge our hero and heroine, there are so many opportunities to laugh out loud. As I turned the page, I wanted more and more of Stevie and Bishop. Their chemistry, their underwear game, his groin injury which leads to so many sentences about his balls, and her handling of his “ball” issue grab your heart and drag you into their feud. These two start out as pseudo-enemies and allow their chemistry to build a slow burn towards their connection. It’s that slow burn and their obvious interest in each other that engages you and makes you fall for them more and more.

Yet, it’s also the hearts of these two that catapult you into this book. It’s clear that each of them cares for the other once their misconceptions are resolved. Reading them fall in love on the page brings about a sense of completion that you hate to come to because it means their story is over. I hadn’t read Stevie’s brother’s book, A Lie for A Lie. And I found myself one-clicking it because this world, the one where Stevie and Bishop reside, quickly became the favorite part of my reading week.

From Bishop’s statement underwear to Stevie’s strength in challenging Bishop, A Favor for A Favor became a favorite rom-com of mine. With hockey players, injured balls, a slow-burn romance, and a heroine who helps a hero live out his depth, Helena Hunting’s romance reminds us that people are brought into our lives to challenge us while loving us. As Bishop falls deeply for Stevie, you can’t help but feel like everything in life is complete. I mean, if a cranky hero with a serious attitude can find his happily-ever-after, can’t we all? And yes, there is more Helena Hunting in my future.