An article, a bet, assumption, hockey, and a slow burn that will leave you turning page after page to find out how this all ends.

Whitney is an aspiring journalist who is itching for an article that will give her the edge she needs for her career while Hudson has a reputation for being a player. Is it possible that Whitney is wrong about Hudson?

Who will survive the fallout, secrets, and betrayal. Is it possible that not all athletes are douchebags and out for a one night stand?

If you enjoy spicy hockey romance with great writing, a plot that is captivating, and lots of witty banter go read this.

I mean it was ok, we have whitney who has a bad experience with her ex and decides she is not going to date. She starts a new phase in her life as a writer and comes up with writing on players but is asked to write on the perks that they get, yeah this wont be easy. Hudson keeps getting shot down by Whitney so his team mates bet him that he can't sleep with her til the end of the semester, now why would he think this was a good idea. These two go around in circles, and as they are starting to feel more the lines of communication should have opened but they didn't and when their relationship was getting real, they really needed to talk. I mean if you were in Whitney's shoes how would you feel if someone made a bet on you, you would wonder if he liked you for you or the bet, and then there is Hudson, he wonders does Whitney like him or want to get info on the team. We get answers but I dont feel like we got a very HEA..

4.5 stars!
This new adult romance might be the second in the series, but I didn't read book one and had no trouble following. Our heroine, Whitney, is done getting played by players, primarily athletes (I did have a gripe about her being a cliche "easy" blonde but she's a fun character who knows who she is, and that's a girl that gives in easily when faced with temptation until her vow not to and we know that's going to fail at some point when faced with our sexy hero). To get a coveted position at the school paper she fakes knowledge of hockey to be the sports reporter who's really under cover to find out about athletes getting preferential treatment. Kind of obvious her total lack of knowledge about hockey will blow up in her face and her under cover operation will be a problem for her relationship later. And it's obvious she's going to fall for another player.
Enter our player, Hudson, and oh man is he a one-night guru with a reputation for no relationships. Our main characters become friends with their underlying secrets a bomb in the background that as expected explodes later but proves not to be enough to keep them apart.
Fun story. Delightfully written. The main characters were fully developed and beautiful but there wasn't a lot done with the side characters, like Dane the bestie which would be a great set up for the next story.
Great weekend read. Fast, cute, fun.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Anatomy of a player-Hudson is a hockey player that takes on a bet. He has to see if he can get the uptight girl. Whitney is trying hard to become a journalist. Both find out they have more in common then they thought. Until she finds out about the bet and he finds out about the article. Can they patch things up?

What I like about Cindi's books is that they are all very different, yet very cute and funny.

So, when Anatomy of a Player was available on Netgalley, I grabbed it. And although it is part of the Taking shots series, you can easily read it as a standalone.

We meet Whitney, who has sworn of players, after having her heart broken again. So, she decides to focus on her study and on her new job at the college newspaper. Her first assignment is to expose how sport jocks receive all different kind of privileges, while studying. Therefore, she goes 'undercover' as a sports reporter for the local hockey team. Because those hot as hell hockey players are the biggest players of the campus. And their main star Hudson Decker certainly is the poster child of a player with a capital 'P' . So Whitney decides to find out the Anatomy of a Player to warn other girls how to recognize a player and to keep them at bay. She didn't realize however, that this would turn out to be more difficult than expected. Because beneath the cocky exterior, Hudson turns out to be a very cute and kind guy. Hudson feels the pressure of keeping up his grades, to ensure his sport scholarship. Without it, he can kiss college goodbye, since he will not be able to pay for his tuition. So, between hockey and learning, he doesn't really have time for a distraction. But their new sports reporter is an enigma. A brianiac girl who seems unaffected by the flattery of the hockey guys. When the guys bet that Hudson can't get her to loosen up-in his bed-before the end of the semester, he can 't resist the challenge.

But while Whitney and Hudson spend more time together, they both realize that there is so much more than meets the eye Slowly the attraction is building. But when their different reasons for sticking together become clear, will they still want to be friends? Find out for yourself in this wonderful read. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Anatomy of a Player didn't really hold my attention until mid way through the book. By then, I got pulled in with the banter between the main characters Hudson and Whitney. Both have to work through their own past and misgivings about expectations when it comes to romance and their families. One of the things I disliked about this book was the fact that Whitney is studying to be Journalist and yet every time she has a crisis related to that line of work, she doesn't seek out help from the teachers or other journalists. She just makes up her own rules on what is acceptable and unacceptable. Other than that, I enjoyed the flirting and the tension building between the main characters. The setting and background info/details were well thought out. It was nice to see the characters having their own identity crisis, rising to the occasion and making the right choices n relation to their studies as to me, that is what college is all about. It is also about reaching out for help as that is also important as well.

Anatomy of a Player is a fun cute read in the Taking Shots series. Hudson is a hot hockey player who has many different sides to him that you are going to love. Whitney is a tad bit jaded when it comes to falling for athletes and is looking for a good story. Little lies, bets and drive make this such a fun read. I love the changes in Hudson as he grows closer to Whitney. You get why Whitney hides a few things from Hudson. They have amazing chemistry as the walls fall down. I really enjoyed this one and cannot wait for more hockey romance in the Taking Shots series.

Love , love , love this series. The men are so stubborn and can't see what is going on. I love the strong female lead and how she deals with being hurt .