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Synopsis
Brock Lassiter has it all: good looks, good health, and the best job in the world. As a defenseman for the Las Vegas Sidewinders hockey team, he’s the luckiest bastard on earth. If only he could stop getting in trouble. One more screw-up and the team won’t renew his contract. He needs to clean up his act, but he’s not interested in a ball and chain—even if it comes in the form of the woman he’s been fantasizing about for years.
Hollywood starlet Ashleigh Hunter is living the dream with a role on one of the hottest shows on television. Her life would be complete if only she could adopt the sweet orphan girl she’s fallen in love with, but a single 25-year- old woman who spends the majority of her time in the spotlight may not be able to get custody.
When Brock and Ashleigh find themselves accidentally married, they balk. There’s no denying the chemistry between them, but a marriage of convenience? Who does that anymore? Apparently, they do—and it’s not what either of them are expecting.
**Brock is a STANDALONE hockey romance, part of the Sidewinders Series*
Review
3.5 sweet and sexy stars
This is a sweet and sexy sports/celebrity romance with a drunken Vegas wedding, a marriage of convenience, and a heartfelt, functional love story that takes both characters by surprise. A whole heap of my favourite tropes all together in one book, and I enjoyed this one.
This is book #7 in the Las Vegas Sidewinders series, but it can be read as a standalone. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, and I was easily able to immerse myself in the world of these characters and see how they all fit together.
Brock Lassiter is a defenseman for the Las Vegas Sidewinders NHL team. He has a reputation for being a bit of a wild one, and his contract renewal is under threat unless he can clean up his act. Ashleigh Hunter has overcome a difficult childhood to achieve her dream, and is an actress on one of the hottest shows on television. She’s fostering an eight year old girl, Bella, and is trying to adopt her, but there are a lot of hurdles in her way.
Brock and Ashleigh’s best friends have recently hooked up (in a previous book), and when they are set up on a sort-of double date, sparks fly. But Ashleigh has had bad experiences with men and she’s insecure and wary of all things sexual, not that that stops her from showing her interest, and when Brock returns it, they agree to meet up again. Everything is going great until they get drunk one night and end up married with no recollection of how it all came about. But rather than get an annulment, they figure they may as well use their situation to their advantage, especially as it will help Ashleigh’s cause with the adoption – and of course Brock realises it will improve his image as well. Plus there is a genuine attraction between them that both are keen to explore.
This is a really cute set up. I was genuinely surprised at how things progressed between Brock and Ashleigh. Their honesty with each other about what they are feeling is really sweet, and I really liked their willingness to jump into a relationship and see how things go. Brock, in particular, showed his beautifully sweet side early on with his willingness to be there for Ashleigh.
“Why are you doing this? We barely know each other and I’ve already pulled you into twenty different clusterfucks. Most guys would cut and run”
He brought her hand up to his lips and softly kissed it. “I’m not most guys,” he replied. “But I couldn’t live with myself if I walked away. You and Bella need me, and like it not, I’m involved now.”“You’re not alone in this,” he said softly. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
But that’s not to say he’s doing it all just to help Ashleigh out. He wants her, badly, but even with her sexual hangups he shows infinite patience and gentleness, being there for her and working with her to overcome her issues, and it’s a great mix of sweetness and, eventually, steamy, dirty sexy time.
“Tell me you want me to make you beg,” he growled … “Just say the words and I’ll make you forget everything you ever thought you knew about sex.”
And as they find themselves falling for each other, they both begin to question whether their marriage of convenience can become something a whole lot more.
“Is that enough? … The physical attraction? Do we have enough to make this work?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we have enough to try. Don’t we?”
I enjoyed this story. As I said, I was surprised at how it all happened for them, but I appreciated the gentleness of the romance, and I loved the openness between them. They have a lot of issues to overcome, and the drama is well written to help build the relationship without becoming too OTT.
It did take me a while to warm up to the chemistry between them though. They were certainly feeling it, but it took me a bit longer to get on board. I initially had some issues with Ashleigh which didn’t help…
…but as the book progressed, I started to feel it more, and I was happy with how it all played out.The epilogue provides a great ending, and I finished this one with a smile on my face.
3.5 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
Kat Mizera is a South Florida native. Born in Miami Beach with a healthy dose of wanderlust, she’s called Los Angeles, Long Island, upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Atlanta home. She’s never been able to pick which locale is her favorite, but if pressed, she’d probably choose the west coast.
Kat’s a typical PTA mom with a wonderful and supportive husband (Kevin) and two amazing boys (Nick and Max). When she’s not writing, she’s either scrapbooking or indulging in her second love (after writing) – traveling. Greece is one of her favorite places in the world. She loves that Athens is a big city with a small-town feel. The food, beaches and culture keep her going back as often as possible. She hopes to retire there one day so she can spend her days writing books on the beach.
Kat has been a working freelance writer for nearly 30 years. She sold her first article–a review of a rock concert–for $10 in 1985. Since then she’s been an entertainment journalist, waitress, bartender, legal assistant, food critic, magazine editor, substitute teacher, and sports writer. She also spent some time working at A & M Records in Los Angeles.
As you can guess from her series, the Las Vegas Sidewinders, Kat loves hockey. She is also a freelance hockey writer, covering her favorite team, the Florida Panthers, and any other teams that have an interesting story. The rest of the time, she writes novels: sexy, romantic fiction that she hopes makes you as happy as it makes her. There’s something enticing about hockey players and romance…
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