Cold Fury Hockey Series
New Adult Contemporary
Released October 14, 2014
Published by LoveSwept (Random House)
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iBooks
Hockey star Alexander Crossman has a reputation as a cold-hearted player on and off the rink. Pushed into the sport by an alcoholic father, Alex isn’t afraid to give fans the proverbial middle finger, relishing his role as the MVP they love to hate. Management, however, isn’t so amused. Now Alex has a choice: fix his public image through community service or ride the bench. But Alex refuses to be molded into the Carolina Cold Fury poster boy . . . not even by a tempting redhead with killer curves.
As a social worker, Sutton Price is accustomed to difficult people—like Alex, who’s been assigned to help her create a drug-abuse awareness program for at-risk youth as part of the team’s effort to clean up his image. What she doesn’t expect is the arrogant smirk from his perfect lips to stir her most heated fantasies. But Sutton isn’t one to cross professional boundaries—and besides, Alex doesn’t do relationships . . . or does he? The more she sees behind Alex’s bad-boy façade, the more Sutton craves the man she uncovers.
Ellen’s Review:
3.5 – 4 Stars!!
I enjoyed this hockey book a lot and recommend it for anyone who likes a good, hot sports story with a lot of heart. Alex is an incredibly gifted hockey player who comes from an abusive background which is now affecting his game and his relationship with his teammates.
As part of a penalty, he is required to volunteer at a local drug-abuse prevention program alongside the beautiful and selfless Sutton. She is different from the hockey groupies who throw themselves at him, but at first he is a total jerk to her. No matter. Sutton sees the wounded person inside and they begin to fall for each other, even as he tries to push her away emotionally.
“I’ve been a prick far longer than I’ve been charming. You’re seeing a new side to me, but you know the old is bound to come out.”
“We all have days when our monsters come out, Alex. You’re not going to scare me off if I see yours.”
Sutton is feisty and educated and sees through Alex’s B.S. She, too, comes from a dysfunctional family but unlike Alex, she has a positive outlook and is very close to her family. Will she be able to bring out the best in Alex and help him overcome his past demons? This book has more layers than a typical sports romance story and the characters really grew on me. I loved the hockey scenes and the steam factor between these two is AMAZING.
I have one tiny issue with this story, and I have found that it is not just unique to this book. Why can’t a heroine be on birth control because she doesn’t want to get pregnant? Why does it have to be to regulate her periods? This did not affect my enjoyment of the book, I am just surprised to see this recur over and over again in books. Overall, I really like the author’s writing style. Alex is a sweetly sexy story with a heroine who is no pushover. It is a quick, romantic read with a VERY satisfactory conclusion. I actually found myself tearing up near the end! I also LOVED the other team members and I know they will have some great stories, too.
(*ARC provided in return for an honest review.)
About the Author
USA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.
