Member Review

Sadie Rivers is an Olympic-medal-winning hockey player forced to retire due to an injury. She is now the first, and only, female head coach in the NHL, and she's got a lot to prove to the loud minority who refuses to accept that a woman can do the job. Leo McLaren is a defenseman, hockey royalty who had to leave his team due to an injury that has him playing poorly. His only hope is to join one of the worst teams in the league and hope that the new female head coach can whip the team into shape. What begins with their personalities clashing quickly becomes a deep understanding that could be so much more, but can they keep their personal lives from crashing on the ice?

I'm sad to give this one just 3.5 stars. However, it's a very predictable book with not much hockey being played. I get that it's mainly about the romance, but I enjoy reading about the plays, or at least some moments on the ice, which we get almost none of. Yes, Sadie's attempts to get her players to create bonds and become a cohesive group are fun and add a lot to the character stories; it's just that it could have been a story set in any and all misogynistic industries without much changing.

That said, the romance between Sadie and Leo is the sweetest. You can tell from the first time they clash that they'll be perfect together, and it only gets better from there. They truly care about each other's best interests and happiness, making their romance balanced even when she's technically his boss.

Overall, it comes down to being in the mood for a story primarily focused on romance or one that lets the setting play a part in the story.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Entangled: Amara for the read!