Heaven ~I was fourteen the first time I laid eyes on the smoking hot, silver-eyed goalie. Damon Wolfe was the most gorgeous boy I’d ever seen. All it took was one glance, one sentence and my heart was his.But I was too young, and he was too broken.Seven years later he’s the biggest off-the-ice player in the NHL, and I’m his virginal best friend—a problem I have the perfect solution to. But Wolfe … perfect solution to. But Wolfe refuses to help me out. He claims he doesn’t want to ruin our friendship.
Yet, somehow, his eyes say something different whenever he looks at me.
Wolfe ~
The first time I looked into those sparkling eyes I was a goner. With one look she sent all my inner demons running.
But she was just a kid and I was too damaged.
Seven years later Heaven is now my best friend. She’s also a woman with a single-minded mission—to get laid.
She wants me to take her virginity and teach her about sex. But I can’t cross that line with her. Once we do, there’s no going back…and a man like me doesn’t deserve a girl like her.
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Though the theme of this story is a familiar one I still found myself drawn to it courtesy of its sizzling sexual tension and laugh out loud banter and cheesy pick-up lines. Wolfe and Heaven’s journey to HEA is a rocky one too with numerous moments of frustration that had me wanting to smack Wolfe a time or two. On a whole though I found this a charming read that put a smile on my face despite my occasional quibble.
Wolfe was drawn to Heaven the moment they met as youngsters but she was forbidden fruit as his best friend’s little sister meant keeping his hands to himself. Years passed and he still found himself drawn to her and living as just friends but he saw her as too good for him considering his own past. It’s a past that he’s ashamed of as he has more worth than just being a playa. The moment she asked him to take her V-Card though is the moment where everything changed between them in their push-pull journey to HEA…a journey full of unnecessary melodrama. Wolfe’s a frustrating character at times courtesy of a past that has him feeling unworthy of something good but I was still drawn to him for all the care and support he gave to Heaven. Being with Heaven made him a better man though and as their journey continued his self-esteem also grew.
Heaven was a young teen when we first meet her here, a teen with stars in her eyes and an instant desire for the sexy goalie. It’s a desire that never goes away and despite his numerous encounters with other women she never gives up on claiming him. Her plan to get him to take her V-Card is a theme I’ve read before and while it seems silly, it works in this story. Having a connection that started so long ago made her plan a bit more reasonable though as they’ve had a lot of years getting to know each other in a journey that’s rewarding in the end. Heaven’s a good girl, one who believes only she is meant for Wolfe and sets out to prove it to him. She’s a bit naive at times, a bit frustrating for idly sitting by and watching him with other women. I kept waiting for her to get more of a backbone in their connection but it took awhile before I saw her becoming empowered.
On a whole this was an enjoyable story with a couple whose connection sizzled. The nature of their romance being forbidden also added to the sizzle of this story full of erotically-charged encounters. This main couple appeared in the previous installments in this series but it’s here where readers really get to know them, giving insight into Wolfe’s emotional past and making his actions more understandable. While this is a satisfying story for the most part I found it to be a bit of rough around the edges with a narrative that needed to be cleaner, a narrative that needed far less melodrama. Fans of the friends-to-lover theme will find this tale a good one that stands strongly on its own but that will have you wanting to read the previous installments to see where this romance all started.
Cross Crease is another wonderful book in the On the Edge series. Heaven is sweet character who wants nothing more than to cuddle up next to Wolfe. Heaven is Wolfe’s best girl friend – not girlfriend – and he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship by giving her what she wants. Heaven is better than a one-nighter and he can’t commit to anything more than that.
As the story progresses you come to realize that the chemistry between Heaven and Wolfe isn’t as on sided as Wolfe would have you believe. I (mostly) love them together. Wolfe does some pretty heart-wrenching things, causing Heaven pain. As far as Heaven goes, I would have a really hard time continually pining for someone who continuously flaunted his sexual conquests in my face. When Wolfe finally opens up about his past though, you see a different side of Wolfe and I empathized with him.
I enjoyed the rocky relationship road Heaven and Wolfe traveled down in Cross Crease. I felt Heaven’s anguish and anger yet understood why Wolfe was so hesitant. Both characters grew exponentially in Cross Crease and loved the ending of their story. The world building was done well and I was able to visualize the story. I couldn’t put the book down and read it in one day (and I work full time….). I know beyond a shadow of doubt that I will be reading this book again; I loved Cross Crease!
This book was a fun, enjoyable, captivating, and seductive read!
This is the second book I’ve read in this book series. Last year, I had the privilege of reading and reviewing Book Two, “Cross Drop,” so I was thrilled to get the chance to read Mrs. Hartey’s latest work, “Cross Crease.”
I liked the main characters, Heaven and Wolfe. They were likable, realistic, and genuine. I enjoyed Heaven – she was kind, simple, sweet, innocent, smart, compassionate. But she was also quite naïve and immature in the beginning. Wolfe’s characteristics were quite the opposite of Heaven’s as he’s more the sexy, naughty, bad boy, charming, charismatic, player type. However, he too, is quite juvenile and adolescent in the beginning. I think one of the best attributes of this book is the character arcs of Heaven and Wolfe. Their journey over the course of the book shows wide growth, overcoming significant personal demons, increased self-awareness, improved self-esteem, and an overall true transformation!
A strong character development journey to root for and enjoy watching it unfold!
I also really liked Heaven and Wolfe together! There is so much chemistry between these two and it was entertaining watching Wolfe try to fight it. Not to mention all the hilarious witty banter that went back and forth between Heaven and Wolfe!! Oh and of course those silly, cheesy pick-up lines were quite entertaining as well!!
I loved that many of the characters from the previous books in the series made significant appearances throughout the book! It was great being able to catch back up with Dalt and Nikki from book two!! They were total favorites, so it was great seeing them still together and ever so adorable married and with two kids!!
I also enjoyed the hockey sports element about Wolfe being the big hot-shot goalie. That was really cool getting an insider glance into that world. My family and I are hockey fans and I enjoyed that the author was able to fully bring that realm into the pages without skimping over important details.
It’s very clear and impressive the amount of detail Mrs. Hartey put into researching the hockey field and was able to apply it in an easy to understand tone for all readers regardless their level or exposure to the sport.
I have to say, I found this book to be a bit more risqué than the previous book in the series. Both books are filled with many sexy, passionate scenes. However, this book basically starts out with Wolfe getting a BJ in the living room in front of his roommate, Dak, who is on video chat with his little sister, Heaven – who can’t stop gawking!!! So, yeah, just letting you know this book seemed to throw a few more blushing scenes in your face lol!!!
There are some very predictable scenes. However, there are still a few unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
This book is book three of the On the Edge Book Series. This book can be read as a standalone, however, there are significant character overlap from the previous books. As you can see, I had only read book two before reading this book and didn’t get confused or lost. However, I personally would think it would make more sense and have a stronger impact on the understanding of this book series, if you started with book one first.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all contemporary sports romance readers will like this book too – and this book series! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
This is the first book I have read from this author. Even though it’s the third book in the series it can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the other two because you get insight on the other two characters and I’m sure you get a better look into Wolfe. I enjoyed Wolfe and Heaven’s story, but there were some things I couldn’t wrap my head around. One being how Heaven just kept waiting for Wolfe wanting to be her first and watch him sleep around. The second is the incident after they get together and Wolfe’s decision before he got his head on straight. I loved the characters and now I’m going to go and read the other two books. This was a sports romance, best friend’s sister and friends to lovers romance all wrapped in one.
I won an ARC and volunteered to leave a review.
Elizabeth Hartey scores a hat trick with book three in the On the Edge series, CROSS CREASE; This is goalie, Damon Wolfe’s and Heaven Andersen’s story. Heaven is the younger sister of Dakota (Dak) Andersen from Book one, CROSS STROKE. This sports romance is suitable for adult readers.
I had been looking forward to Damon‘s and Heaven’s story. It exceeded my expectations. I adored this book. I liked Damon and Heaven characters in the previous stories. I valued how their characters were developed in this book. They both have a lot of depth. They are lovable characters that respected and enjoyed. I appreciated learning more about Damon’s background. It explained a lot about his personality. My heart went out to him. I loved how competitive Heaven and Wolfe are. I also enjoyed their cheesy pickup lines. The plot was clever and skillfully executed.
You could follow CROSS CREASE as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the other books as well. It makes you further appreciate the characters knowing more of their background. Followers of Elizabeth Hartey will not be disappointed. I recommend this novel to people who enjoy sports romances and/or best friend’s little sister romances. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.