From Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Madison comes a brand new stand-alone enemies-to-lovers grumpy/sunshine sports romance.
A spin-off from the Only One series
Amazon | Books2Read
Blurb
Vivienne
I did the last thing I ever expected to do. I bought a boat. A beautiful boat that was all mine to spend the summer on.
Only thing I was looking forward to was the calm being on the water brought me.
A place where I wasn’t a hockey dynasty princess or the only single girl of the family.
What I wasn’t looking forward to was the broody man in the boat next to me.
Xavier
I was at the top of my game two years ago.
Then it all came crashing down.
I hung up my skates and vowed to never play again.
I was good at hockey, but hockey was bad for me.
I planned to spend my life on my boat with my dog.
Alone. Happily alone.
Until she came along.
Review
4.5 stars!
The second book in the Made For series, Natasha Madison brings us a grumpy/sunshine sports romance with a difference in a beautiful, heartfelt story that melted my heart.
Vivienne Grant is the daughter of Matthew and Karrie (from Something So Perfect). Her siblings also have books in the Only One series, and her brother Chase had the first book in this series – Made For Me. You could absolutely read this as a standalone – just be aware that you’ll most likely have trouble tracking the side characters and all of their connections, but that won’t impact on your enjoyment of the story.
Vivienne has just stunned her family by buying her very own boat. She’s thrilled to have a bit of a change of scenery, and sets herself up to live on her boat for the summer, where she can just ‘be’. She’s also planning on getting some writing done – she’s an author, though goes by a pen-name and not even her family know what she does for a living. She’s happy living her best life, but her new oasis comes with one negative – her new neighbour, who may be gorgeous, but he’s grumpy and broody and seems very unhappy to have her living right next door. But his dog seems to love her, and she’s determined to be her sunny self around him.
Xavier is content living his solitary life on his boat with his dog, until an obnoxiously bright and beautiful woman moves in next door. He wants nothing to do with her, and is determined to keep his distance, but he’s drawn to her in ways he can’t explain. In a delicious twist, it turns out that Xavier is an ex-hockey player who walked away from the game after being crucified by the press. He struggled to deal with it, so he made the brave decision to leave it behind him and live a life that bought him peace. And now he’s living next to hockey royalty.
It’s a bit of a slow burn for these two. Xavier takes a while to come around, but a friendship tentatively develops, and once they get to know each other and open up and share their secrets, they can’t hold back any longer and it’s ON!
Every single time my lips touch hers, it’s like a piece of me is put back together. Every single time my lips touch hers, it’s like breathing becomes that much easier. Every single time my lips touch hers, it’s like I’ve finally found my home.
I love the lack of relationship drama between these two, and how quickly they become tangled up in each other! They want each other, they act on it, they don’t hold anything back, and it’s beautiful watching them come together and just be together. They are supportive and encouraging, playful, and blisteringly sexy, and their love story is so beautiful.
“My home is where you are.”
Their relationship allows them the comfort and safety to truly trust another person, they grow in confidence, and Xavier, in particular, finds the strength to break his silence and face his demons, and Vivienne and her family are right by his side the whole way. Xavier’s story made my heart ache. It’s not a situation that you often see in a sports romance, and Madison does a wonderful job shining light on such an important topic, telling Xavier’s story with compassion and emotion, while still showing how strong he is. He had the self-awareness and courage to walk away from his dream in order to protect himself, he created a life that worked for him, and I respect him so much for that. And when the time was right, and he was ready, he bravely worked to change his life once again. It’s an amazing story of strength and resilience, and I loved watching him work through it all.
As with all of the books in the series, family plays a big part, and once again, the whole family just shines as they accept Xavier into the fold, supporting and encouraging him as he fights to overcome his past and find his way forward. Matthew, Max, and the boys from the Dallas team are absolutely fabulous, and I loved the scenes with Xavier amongst them as one of the guys as they all take his back without question. And the banter, teasing and epic family dynamics are on point as always.
“You know what he’s doing tonight?” Wilson looks at Cooper. “He’s going to be sleeping with your sister.” He beams with a smile. “Just like me.” Cooper just glares at him.
“If you say a word,” Michael warns beside Dylan, “I will throat punch you on the ice.”
This is such a beautiful story, written with heart and humor, and a gorgeous love story, and I loved it!
4.5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Made For
Part of the Stone-Grant-Horton hockey dynasty – Find full series info, reading order and family tree here
Made For Me (#1) (Chase & Julia)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Made for You (#2) (Xavier & Vivienne)
Review
Buy: Amazon
About the Author
When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…
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